Two more children died of malaria and gastroenteritis in Mehar town on Sindh on Saturday taking the death toll from different diseases in flood-hit areas to 40 during this month. More than half of Sindh is grappling with water-borne and vector-borne diseases after the deadly monsoon wreaked havoc in the country.
The flood victims living in camps set up in Faridabad area of Mehar are battling with the growing epidemic of water-borne and mosquito-borne diseases. Due to malaria and gastroenteritis, a one-year-old girl named Sahar Khatun died in relief camp while another 3-year-old girl named Musan Ali lost her life in the village of Ali Bakhsh Tiuno. A total of 40 people have died this month as a result of these ailments, but the authorities have turned deafen ears and done little to combat malaria and gastroenteritis.
On the other hand, the situation is no more different in relief camps set up in Hyderabad where 90 cases of diarrhea and 137 cases of skin infection were reported in past 24 hours. Official figures show that 24 cases of eye infection, 106 suspected cases and 15 confirmed cases of malaria have surfaced in the city.
Experts stated that outbreak of water-borne and vector-borne diseases has hit all the segments of the society and hospitals are flooded with patients suffering from these acute ailments. At least 872 people were given medical treatment in the last 24 hours. Moreover, health experts warned that the situation is becoming bad to worse with each passing day in the absence of an effective preventive strategy by the health authorities.
