Health experts demand to provide clean drinking water, healthy food, shelter for flood affectees

Islamabad: Health experts on Sunday demanded the authorities concerned for stepping up efforts to ensure the provision of clean drinking water to hundreds of people who lost their homes in the recent flood disaster.

They also urged upon them for an urgent announcement of the strategy to deal with the health crisis as almost 80% of people are suffering from water-borne and skin diseases.

An expert on respiratory infection disease Dr Samreen Zaidi talking to a private news channel said that skin infections, acute respiratory disease, chest infections, diarrhea and malaria are leading health issues being faced by flood-affected people in Sindh, Balochistan and southern Punjab.

“The outbreak of diseases in all flood-affected districts is extremely serious and could turn into a health emergency if not handled properly”, she warned.

Majority people, including women and children, are complaining of psychological distress after losing their homes, loved ones and livelihoods, she mentioned.

She further explained that hundreds of villages, towns, and cities are covered with ankle-deep water adding that the most serious problem faced by the people is the non-availability of clean drinking water as diseases like acute hepatitis and diarrhea are expected to go on peak in the current scenario.

She stressed that the governments, both provincial and federal need to take concrete steps in revamping the decades-old water drainage system of the cities on an emergency basis.

Infectious disease specialist Dr. Syed Faisal Mahmood added that the government should utilize its resources to establish field hospitals with essential treatment and prevention facilities for diseases, including diarrhea, malaria, dengue, chronic illnesses and mental health issues.

More than 70 to 80 percent cases of skin allergies, diarrhea, gastrointestinal, fever and blood pressure problems were reported in these areas, adding, the cause of these infections were reportedly due to stagnant water and consumption and use of untreated water.

As rains continue, there is an urgent need to scale up disease surveillance, restore damaged health facilities, ensure sufficient medicines and health supplies to affected communities, he added.

“Mosquitoes are also spreading rapidly in all floods-affected areas and leading to high number of daily dengue cases,” he highlighted.

Experts expressed fear that the cases of malaria are continuously increasing due to water contamination.