Abbotabad (AsiaNews) – The risk of epidemics in areas recently affected by floods is on the rise. The World Health Organization (WHO) argues that outbreaks of infectious diseases such as dengue, SARS, hepatitis and other viral infections are hitting thousands of people. Approximately 2.2 million cases of malaria are expected in flood-affected areas over the next six months.
The cases of infection also affect volunteers and health workers active in the flooded areas.
Yesterday, at the Ayub Teaching Hospital (AHT), Abbotab, two people, a doctor and a Chinese engineer, died of a mysterious virus, which health authorities have not yet identified. The infection, similar to Dengue fever, lowers the level of platelets, causing severe haemorrhaging and it has also infected a dying boy who came to AHT. Other cases were registered in the district of Haripur (Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa). The heads of the department for infectious diseases in AHT fear the virus could spread rapidly in the flooded areas and have requested assistance from national authorities.
According to the UN of the more than 20 million displaced persons, most are still trapped in isolated makeshift camps, making it rescue operations even more difficult.