Pakistan facing 'serious' threat of epidemic disease/Aid workers describe devastation from Pakistan

[Turborama]

Source: BBC

Pakistan's prime minister says the government is "seriously concerned" about the potential spread of epidemic diseases in the flood-hit country. Yousuf Raza Gilani was speaking during high-level talks aimed at preventing a mass health crisis.

Doctors in many areas are reportedly struggling to cope with the spread of diseases such as diarrhoea and cholera.

=snip=

There are fears of further flooding as the Indus river at Hyderabad, already at a 50-year high, is expected to rise even more.

Mr Gilani told the meeting of senior doctors, health ministry officials, UN representatives and members of non-governmental organisations that Pakistan was experiencing "the worst natural calamity of its history."

"As human misery continues to mount, we are seriously concerned with spread of epidemic diseases. There is likelihood of water-borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea and dysentery, especially in children who are already weak and vulnerable." he said

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11068259

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Aid workers describe devastation from Pakistan floods

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

- Thousands of people are sleeping on muddy roads
- Hundreds of thousands are suffering from contagious illnesses
- Pakistan's prime minister is set to meet with officials about the health crisis

By Holly Yan, CNN
August 24, 2010

(CNN) -- The statistics are devastating, but for aid workers like Faisal Kapadia and Awab Alvi, witnessing the despair from the Pakistan flooding was far more tragic than they imagined.

"You can see 8,000 to 10,000 people in Sukkur in the road, sleeping in the mud," said Kapadia, a resident of Karachi. "All the people are sitting on the side of road, defecating there, drinking water there, living there."

Roughly 4 million people are homeless from mammoth flooding that covered much of Pakistan for three weeks. Hundreds of health facilities are damaged or destroyed. Millions are at risk for deadly waterborne diseases from the filthy flood waters.

Officials estimate the death toll between 1,500 and 1,600, but Kapadia says he thinks the numbers could skyrocket as water recedes and more bodies and animals surface.

More harrowing details & some videos: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/08/24/pakistan.floods/?hpt=T2#fbid=5tFS21of5oJ&wom=false



A malnourished Pakistani child lies on a bed on the roadside after being
forced to flee flooding from her village near the city of Shadad Kot, in
Sindh province, southern Pakistan.
Monday, Aug. 23, 2010. (AP Photo/ Kevin Frayer)

[OhioChick]

1. The picture of that child just breaks my heart.

:(

Thanks for keeping up with this ongoing disaster.

[uppityperson]

2. k&r, thanks for posting on Pakistan and for including MSF and other links

[cosmicone]

3. That child looks like it has been malnourished for

several months. The current flood couldn't have caused this level of malnutrition in 12 days.

Perhaps everything is fair when one is looking for aid.

[sabrina 1]

5. What are you suggesting?

It is obvious that baby needs help. And these floods are one month old, it is entirely possible that this child has been starving for weeks and would certainly be beginning to show it by now. Babies and the elderly and disabled will be the most vulnerable.

Personally even if your cynical implication is true, it is more than justified and if it works, they should use whatever photos they can to get help for those who need it.

[cosmicone]

6. No one said the baby doesn't need help.

However, to have THAT level of loss of muscle bulk from malnutrition takes months. The baby appears to have a syndrome called "kwashior kor", usually seen in famished parts of Africa, pediatric HIV, tuberculosis or some other debilitating disease. A couple of weeks of lack of adequate food will not cause that.

No one is denying that Pakistan needs help with the people suffering from the floods but if Pakistan is purposely parading children sick from other causes to get more aid, it would be disingenuous.

[sabrina 1]

8. If the baby already had a medical condition, then there is nothing

wrong with showing that to the world. As children who are already weak are the most vulnerable and the most in need of help.

If there are sick people, they will only become sicker and are the most likely to die. Frankly I am surprised that there are not photos of people who were sick before this disaster struck who will be the first to succumb to the lack of care, food and water.

Contrary to your claim of disingenuous, I think Pakistan has failed to show the real situation which has to be by now, far, far worse than any of the reports we have seen, show.

Iow, they need more and better PR, not less.

[Turborama]

9. I've got some more pictures...

Pakistan Flood: Photos
August 24, 2010 10:30 a.m. EST

[OhioChick]

10. OMG.....

Those are really bothersome. Apparently, people need to "see" how bad the situation is over there, though.

:(

[Turborama]

14. Apparently some people have no empathy

And need to learn what altruism is.

It doesn't come naturally to everyone, sadly.

[sabrina 1]

11. The one with the poor little baby covered with flies. That is what

the CNN reporter remarked on when she was there. That the flies were everywhere and often the people were too exhausted to even brush them away.

They need shelter before deseases begin to spread. I cannot imagine what it must feel like to be a parent under those conditions. No wonder a mother offered to give up her baby to get her out of there and to 'have a better life'.

Thanks for the photos Turborama ...

[OhioChick]

12. They're eating GRASS there to survive....

Yes, grass. Also, keep in mind, that was 2 weeks ago.

"Speaking about her ordeal, Zarina said that they have been eating grass to stay alive as they have lost everything."

http://tribune.com.pk/story/38507/outbreak-of-diseases-sets-alarm-bells-ringing/

[sabrina 1]

13. That is so sad. And there is so much money in the world. There

should never be a reason for people to have to live like this, even when there is a major disaster.

I read that the wealthy got out mostly, while so many, just like NOLA, did not have the means to do so.

Class warfare is real. And we have it here also, as Katrina demonstrated so clearly.

[OhioChick]

7. That's a disgusting comment....you get worse as time goes on. n/t

[sabrina 1]

4. This is what I was wondering about:

Officials estimate the death toll between 1,500 and 1,600, but Kapadia says he thinks the numbers could skyrocket as water recedes and more bodies and animals surface.

No one has said if they have even had time to search for people. When you look at the footage of vast areas, residential a lot of the time, covered in water as far as anyone can see, you cannot help wondering how many may have died.

I hope he is wrong and that people had enough warning to get out. But some areas are so remote that they may not have been able to.

What a horrible disaster and even if they get more help, it is so widespread it will still be difficult to get to everyone. They cannot even communicate with many of the people in order to organize, I imagine, because of the lack of power. :cry: