Dissemination of Water-Mediated Infections due to Torrential Rainfalls Leading to Havoc Floods: A Dreadful Curve for Pakistan

According to a statistical report by Punjab’s health department, Southern Punjab is at high risk for an outbreak of infectious diseases. According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO; Geneva, Switzerland), 140,000 people in the Southern Punjab region of Pakistan are suffering from skin, gastrointestinal, and respiratory diseases that also include rashes, itching, diarrhea, gastroenteritis, and eye infection.4 According to the United Nations Children’s Fund’s (UNICEF; New York USA) Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI), Pakistan stands in 14th position out of 163 CCRI-ranked countries and there is a strong possibility that the outbreak of water-borne diseases and lack of health care and diet facilities will further aggravate the situation.5 Health experts in Pakistan estimate approximately five million people to fall sick in the next four to twelve weeks. If these measures are not taken, then more devastating effects are expected and the death toll may increase due to further outbreaks of water-borne diseases in flood-affected areas.6 The health system of Pakistan was already under pressure due to the major outbreak of COVID-19 for the past few years, and now the weeks of monstrous floods have created havoc in Pakistan.