National News

ISLAMABAD (APP): Citizens on Friday asked the
quarters concerned to implement the flood preparedness plan to
protect the people from carrying various diseases living in
high-risk flood areas.
According to them, it should be the first priority to
establish health facilities in the flood-hit areas to provide first
aid and treat emergency cases.
They said every step should be taken to avoid outbreak of
any disease in the vulnerable population.
Meanwhile, Met Office has predicted that during July to
September, some heavy downpour events may produce urban flooding in
big cities while there is a high probability of heavy downpour which
may generate flash flooding along Suleman range.
It said some extreme rainfall events are likely to occur in
the catchment areas of major rivers and other parts of the country
which may cause floods.
It said some strong incursions of monsoon currents, coupled
with high temperature, may trigger glacial lake outburst floods,
landslides and flash floods in upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit
Baltistan.
Medical expert Dr Wasim Khawaja from Pakistan Institute of
Medical Sciences (PIMS) said communicable diseases are easily
transmitted in high-risk areas by use of unsafe water for drinking
and deteriorated health conditions of the affected population.
He said if proper interventions are not made on time, the
communicable disease may increase rapidly and have a devastating
impact on the already-affected community hit by floods.
He said the health personnel on site for the control of
outbreak of communicable diseases should know how to carry out
primary investigation and then on the basis of that investigation
confirm the presence of pathogens and then with the treatment and
prevention procedures.
He said the change in environment after any disaster causes
an increase in infectious diseases such as contamination of water
after floods because of the cross connection between water and
sewage lines.
Senior medical practitioner Dr Sharif Astori from Federal
Government Poly Clinic (FGPC) said diseases may carry from direct
person-to-person contact, while water-borne diseases are spread by
using the contaminated water like gastroenteritis, cholera, etc.
He added air-borne large-population density at a particular
area helps in transmission of infection through droplets and
vector-borne diseases such as malaria or dengue are transmitted by
different insects like mosquitoes,
He said in any flood like situation health surveillance
systems should be reinforced, and guidelines should be given on how
to manage the information about potential diseases. The population
should be educated about the potential threats of the communicable
diseases.
He said that mass immunization of the population affected
after floods can be an efficient and effective way to stop the
outbreak of communicable diseases, especially in children below the
age of five.