2010-08-17 15:21:44

UN warns on waterborne disease risk among flood-affected Pakistanis


(Aug.08,2010) In Pakistan, waterborne diseases continue to pose great risk to millions of people affected by the devastating floods in the country, the United Nations warned on Monday.
The UN World Health Organization ,WHO said that in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, one of the hardest-hit provinces, acute diarrhoea is the leading cause of illness. The problem has also been reported in Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh, the agency reported. The UN Children’s Fund ,UNICEF estimates that as many as 3.5 million children in affected areas may now be at risk of diseases carried through contaminated water and insects. UNICEF plans to provide clean water to 6 million people. WHO’s representative in Pakistan. Guido Sabatinelli said “The lack of clean water and the unavailability of medication, in the aftermath of these floods, is a deadly combination.
Acute respiratory tract infections and skin diseases are the other health problems among those affected, according to WHO. Malaria could also pose a major threat as mosquitoes breed in the stagnant flood water, it added.
The Government estimates that 20 million people have been affected by the floods. The UN and its partners plan to assist at least 8 million people, who are in urgent need of life-saving shelter, food, clean water, and health care. Based on a preliminary assessment of immediate needs, UN and non-UN humanitarian agencies have already requested $459.7 million. Donors have so far contributed or promised $125 million, or 27 per cent of the requested amount, according to the UN.










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