5 million feared sick over next 12 weeks in flooded areas due to disease outbreak
A child sits on a dry ground near by his family after fleeing from flood hit home in Shikarpur of Sindh province on August 30, 2022. — AFP Health experts have sounded the alarm regarding the outbreak of disease in flood-affected areas, estimating around five million people to fall sick in the next four to 12 weeks, The News reported. People in the flooded areas of Sindh, Balochistan, southern Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are likely to get diarrhea, cholera, gastroenteritis, typhoid and vector-borne diseases like dengue and malaria, the health experts warned on Tuesday. It is estimated that a disease outbreak would initially require medicines and medical supplies worth Rs1 billion, they said, and urged donors, philanthropists and common people to donate these after consulting health experts and officials of rescue and welfare organisations. “Of the 33 million people affected due to monsoon rains and floods across Pakistan, it is estimated that around five million people,