Health experts fear rise in fatality rate if health issues not resolved in flood-hit areas timely

APP

ISLAMABAD: The country’s one-third land has been submerged due to torrential rains and flash floods and it has been causing health complications among the affected people particularly in the children and women.

Senior Medical Officer Dr Nasrullah Sabki alarmed that the fatality rate could rise if health issues were not resolved in the flood-affected areas timely.

He said due to the stagnant water, skin infection was a common disease being reported in all age groups of people in the flood-hit areas. However, the accumulated water and unhygienic environment had also multiplied the growth of flies and mosquitoes which were the main source of malaria, dengue, typhoid, gastro, cholera, hepatitis A and food poisoning, he added.

Dr Sabki said the flood affected people should use boiled water for the drinking purpose if they wanted to protect themselves from gastro, cholera, typhoid, food poisoning, hepatitis A and other water borne diseases.

The child specialist further said due to dilapidated infrastructure, the pregnant women had no access to the hospital therefore they must be provided nearby health facilities so that they could give birth to babies.

Appreciating the role of organizations and volunteers involved in relief and rehabilitating activities in flood affected areas, Dr Sabki said the medical teams were not sufficient enough to cope with this catastrophic situation.

The child specialist said a large number of medical teams must be dispatched to every nook and cranny of the affected areas along with medicines and medical supplies to save the people’s health and lives.

The health expert urged the federal and provincial governments to launch an aggressive media campaign to educate people about precautions they should take in this critical situation to avert the burgeoning health complications.

He asked the quarters concerned to make all-out efforts to drain the rain water from the residential and commercial units and start a fumigation drive to overcome the further breeding of flies and mosquitoes in the affected areas. The people must be provided mosquito nets besides other necessities of life, he added.  He urged the government and non-government organizations to further enhance their relief work especially in the health sector in the flood ravaged areas at this trying time.