Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Hyderabad (Agenzia Fides) - Cholera and dengue, hemorrhagic fever, are the main dangers for the people in Sindh, South Pakistan, hit by severe floods that have caused about six million displaced persons (see Fides 13/9/2011; 16/09/2011). The monsoon rains are seriously affecting in particular the children in the area. The UN agency for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) in Pakistan, has estimated nearly five and a half million people affected by floods, among them 2.5 million children who remain the most vulnerable victims. The polluted water of the rivers is favoring the proliferation of diarrheal diseases. So far, 270 people have been killed in 23 districts of the province because of the pandemic, while 1.2 million homes have completely been swept away by floods and about a thousand schools have been turned into emergency shelters. Last years floods had already weakened the children who now risk malnutrition. There are thousands who are still having to fight the cold and hunger. Poor hygiene is the most common cause of the spread of dengue, but the rains make the soil favorable to the mosquito vector of the disease. Lahore is the city most severely hit. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 19/09/2011)
