The makeshift camps hosting internally displaced persons (IDPs) of flood-affected areas of Thatta and Badin-the two hardest hit districts in the recently floods-have now been hit by the waterborne diseases and allergies due to contaminated water and unhygienic conditions.
Both the districts have depicted a picture of a complete misery and illness. The affected victims are facing the challenge of preventing themselves from fast emerging diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, malaria, fever, and other viral and infections diseases. The younger population is, especially at higher risk, it finds.
"Waterborne diseases are caused by pathogenic micro-organisms which are directly transmitted when contaminated water is consumed. This can be by drinking directly or used in the preparation of food", said the Joint Secretary RSDS Ms Sehar Sameen, who led the assessment. Almost all activities so far had been limited to the immediate relief, especially shifting of the affected victims to safer places. Nearly 1.3 million people have been hit hard, and the fear of the spread of diseases will damage many more socio-economically, the survey finds. There is an immediate need for medical help of these people, provision of medicines and vaccination etc to protect the affected people against very inevitable spread of any epidemic.
"It is mistaken that the waterborne diseases will affect the affected population only physically or result in the loss human lives," Sehar said. "People already in these two districts live far below the poverty line, and the disease will leave a lasting impact on the local economy. The affected in the longer run will have to bear the medical bills and health related costs such as cost of treatment, medication, transport, special food and pure water and may in terms of loss of manpower."
It is unfortunate that people in these two districts have been hit by a natural disaster almost every year since 1999. The affected people are waiting us all to come to their rescue and help and we should feel duty bound to come up to their hopes and try to mend their losses and their sense of grief to the extent we can in individual capacity or from a platform of an organisation," Saher said.