Pakistan’s most vulnerable will pay the price for slow flowing aid

24 August 2010 [MediaGlobal]: Water has swept away both the homes and livelihoods of over 6 million people in Pakistan. With nearly 1,500 lives lost in the initial flood, officials now fear that the barrage of water will bear a second wave of deaths in the form of waterborne diseases.

Farhan Haq, Acting Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, stated, “It’s a very large task ahead, and people have only begun to grasp how large the challenge is. On the one hand, this hasn’t necessarily caused as many deaths as other natural disasters, but on the other hand, if we’re not careful, there will be many more deaths in the weeks and months ahead from cholera and diarrhea.”

The United Nations has called for $459 million in aid but has only received about half that amount. Without the rest of this aid, the country faces the impossible challenge of fending off waterborne diseases without adequate supplies or infrastructure.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 141 health facilities have been lost or damaged by the floods, creating a logistical nightmare for Pakistan.

Maurizio Giuliano, the Public Information Officer based in Pakistan for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), stated, “It will take a huge effort by the international community in terms of funding, and a huge operation on the ground. The Secretary-General has referred to these floods as ‘unprecedented floods’ requiring ‘unprecedented assistance,’ and I would add that we are facing unprecedented logistical challenges due to the vastness of the area and the huge number of people to be assisted. The area ravaged by these floods, at least 160,000 kilometers, is more than the size of England.”

Within these affected areas the leading causes of illness are skin infections, acute watery diarrhea, and acute respiratory infections. So far 157, 241 cases of skin infections, 125,176 cases of acute diarrhea, and 122,598 cases of respiratory tract infections have already been reported.

“Waterborne diseases are a serious concern because once they start, they spread like wild fire”, said Patrick McCormick, the Emergency Communications Officer for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

If multiple cases of cholera and diarrhea have already been reported, how far off is this “wild fire” outbreak of waterborne disease and who will suffer the consequences of the outbreak?

Giuliano added, “Like many natural disasters, the most vulnerable will be the ones to suffer. Children comprise 3.5 of the 6 million affected by this event. For children affected by the floods, the situation is critical. Lack of food, poor living conditions like overcrowding and lack of proper housing, make them already more vulnerable to diseases. In this context, the lack of clean water, and the lack of proper medication for prevention and treatment of diseases, can be a deadly combination.”

So far, assistance has been provided to only 1.8 of the 6 million flood victims. It includes 179 emergency health kits, 152 cholera kits, 700 vials of anti-snake venom, and 1.8 million water purification tablets.

As for protecting children, 50,000 of the 3.5 million have been vaccinated for measles and polio. WHO official Aphaluck Bhatiasevi stated, “This activity is mostly limited to the organized or make-shift relief camps and accessible areas, which are a fraction of the total affected areas.”

While it is apparent that steps are being taken to counter the waterborne disease threat, it is also apparent that there are no programs specifically formulated to protect children.

“We’re all still in crisis mode, every effort we’re making is aimed at the general public. Once the water recedes we can start specific programs for Pakistan’s children but that will have to be in the future,” said McCormick.

The indisputable clock is ticking for Pakistan and simply put, much more aid is vital to their survival. With cholera and diarrhea already emerging all over the country, a large-scale outbreak cannot be far behind. Giuliano warned, “We must continue to work at full speed, to prevent further loss of human life. We can sadly expect that the most vulnerable may die in these extremely precarious living conditions.”