Deaths From Malaria And Other Diseases Reaches 324 People In Flood-Affected Pakistan

JAKARTA - The death toll from malaria and other diseases ravaging flood-hit areas of Pakistan stands at 324, authorities said on Wednesday.

Hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the floods live in the open. The inundated flood, spread over hundreds of kilometers of territory, takes two to six months to recede.

This condition has led to widespread cases of skin and eye infections, diarrhea, malaria, typhoid and dengue fever.

Authorities and aid workers say faster assistance is needed for displaced families exposed to swarms of mosquitoes and other hazards, such as snake and dog bites.

Despite the efforts of governments and local and foreign aid organizations, many people are in dire need of food, shelter, medical assistance and medicine.

With Pakistan's health system already weak and a lack of support, refugee families complain of being forced to drink and cook with unsafe water.

Health and nutrition stand out as the most important needs of the displaced population, he continued.

The Sindh provincial government said emergency health facilities and mobile camps in flooded areas had treated more than 78,000 patients in the past 24 hours, and more than 2 million since July 1. Six of them died.

This confirmed 665 new malaria cases among displaced families during the same period, with another 9,201 suspected cases.

It said a quarter of the 19,000 patients tested in the past 24 hours across the province were positive, a total of 4,876.

Pakistan's UN says cases of malaria, typhoid and diarrhea are spreading rapidly, adding 44,000 cases of malaria were reported this week in the southern province.

Separately, the Director General of Health Services for the southwestern province of Balochistan, Noor Ahmed Qazi, said malaria was spreading rapidly in areas around flooded waters.

"We receive large numbers of malaria patients every day in medical camps and hospitals," he explained.

"We need more medicines and test kits in flood-hit areas," he added.

Deaths from the disease were not among the 1,569 people who died in the flash floods, including 555 children and 320 women, the country's disaster management agency said Wednesday.

The floods, which scientists say are exacerbated by climate change, have affected nearly 33 million people in the South Asian nation of 220 million.

The floods also swept away homes, crops, bridges, roads and livestock in damage estimated at US$30 billion.