Infectious disease is rampant during and after natural disasters and is one of the most detrimental health issues in already poverty-stricken countries. A month after the catastrophic floods that submerged 1/5 of Pakistan under water, aid slowly trickles in and will inevitably dwindle as the world forgets, as it did of the deadly earthquake in Haiti. The World Health Organization urges charity organizations to continue their work because the prevalence of disease will soon rise as stagnant water-carrying sewage
, human remains, carcasses of animals, and molding buildings, will also be transmitting deadly pathogens.
Access to clean water has always been a problem in Pakistan, but now the floods have made for a dire situation by breaking open sewer lines, filling wells with dirty water and displacing millions of people who can only use the contaminated water which is around them. Children are more vulnerable to diseases such as diarrhea and dysentery because they are more easily dehydrated and many children in Pakistan were malnourished to begin with, with the floods weakening their immune systems further.
The Pakistani government and international aid groups have worked diligently to give access to clean water to millions of people affected by the floods and treat those suffering from waterborne diseases, yet they have been overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster, which has displaced a million more people in recent days.
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