Pakistan floods spark cholera fears amid other rising health risks

"More than 2 million people have also been displaced, with health officials warning that affected areas across the country will remain highly susceptible to waterborne diseases, including cholera. Cholera is a bacterial infection transmitted through contaminated food and water. It can cause severe diarrhoea, vomiting and muscle cramps. It can kill within hours without treatment, though simple oral rehydration or antibiotics can save lives."

"Due to a rise in the number of displacement camps, unhygienic conditions at such sites can also significantly increase the risk of infections, according to infectious disease specialist Dr Shobha Luxmi. Access to clean water, hygiene and nutritional support must be prioritised in relief efforts, Luxmi said. The British Red Cross warned that there's a lack of proper toilets for people living in shelters, public buildings or emergency camps on higher ground. There's also a lack of handwashing facilities, the group said. This means that diseases like dysentery and cholera can spread very rapidly in overcrowded places, it added."

"Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority said that more than 1,000 people have been killed, more than 12,500 houses damaged and 6,500 livestock lost in addition to the widespread destruction of crops across the country."

Catastrophic monsoon rains, floods and landslides since late June have affected more than six million people and displaced over two million in Pakistan, with over 1,000 deaths, widespread crop destruction, damaged houses and lost livestock. A high risk of waterborne diseases, especially cholera, arises from contaminated water supplies and overcrowded, unhygienic displacement camps. Cholera causes severe diarrhoea, vomiting and muscle cramps and can be fatal within hours without treatment, though oral rehydration and antibiotics are effective. Immediate relief must prioritise access to clean water, adequate sanitation, handwashing facilities and nutritional support to prevent rapid disease spread.

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