As infections continue to rise across flood-hit Pakistan, at least nine people were reported dead of viral diseases in Sindh on Monday, ARY News reported, citing the data of the Ministry of Health.
According to the NDMA, the death toll has reached 1,559, including 551 children and 318 women in the south-Asian country, and viral diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, diarrhoea, and skin infections have wreaked havoc across provinces as the water starts to recede. Among the nine people who died, five were men and four were women. Three belonged to Noshero Feroz, and two each were from Jacobabad, Tando Allahyar, and Umerkot, as per ARY News.
The infectious diseases in the flood-hit areas of Sindh have reached a dangerous level, according to Geo News, and have claimed more than 1,500 lives with an estimated loss of over USD 30 billion to the economy.
According to the health department data, more than 2.5 million people have been affected by infectious diseases in flood-hit areas, ARY News reported.
In a recent statement, the World Health Organization expressed deep concerns about the potential for a “second disaster in Pakistan: a wave of diseases and deaths” following the catastrophic floods caused by climate change that have submerged one-third of Pakistan. Explaining the impacts on health, the WHO chief suggested acting quickly to protect health and deliver essential health services.
Monsoon rains have claimed over a thousand lives across Pakistan since June and unleashed powerful floods that have washed away swathes of vital crops and damaged or destroyed more than a million homes.