- Data shows over 140,000 flood victims are suffering from different diseases.
- Punjab Health Department says over 33,000 people are suffering from itching and rash diseases.
- WHO says current flood situation will highly likely increase spread of disease.
Following the outbreak of various disease in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, infectious diseases have also surfaced in the flood-affected areas of Punjab.
The Punjab Health Department has released the data on infectious disease among the flood affectees, according to which, the highest number of diseases have been reported in Southern Punjab.
The data showed that over 140,000 flood victims are suffering from different diseases, out of which more than 37,000 people are suffering from respiratory diseases.
It has been reported by the Punjab Health Department that over 33,000 people are suffering from itching and rash diseases while more than 17,000 victims from Southern Punjab are infected with various stomach diseases including diarrhoea.
Flood likely to boost disease spread: WHO
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that the current flood situation will highly likely increase the spread of disease, especially if and when response capacities are hindered.
The WHO report focused on what it called the "severe" impact on health facilities, stating that as of August 28, 2022, 888 health facilities have been damaged in the country of which 180 of them are completely damaged. "Access to health facilities, health care workers, and essential medicines and medical supplies remain the main health challenges for now," the report read.
Pakistan's health system is already battling multiple concurrent health threats, including COVID 19, and outbreaks of cholera, typhoid, measles, leishmaniasis and HIV, the WHO said, adding that even before the current floods, there was a significant disparity in access to health services between rural and urban areas.
Millions locked down in China's
- Long lines of residents queued for mandatory testing.
- Each household will be allowed to send one person out to buy groceries and essential goods per day till Sunday.
- All residents would be tested for virus.
BEIJING: Millions were stuck at home in China’s Chengdu on Friday after a handful of COVID-19 cases brought the megacity to a standstill.
Supermarket shelves were stripped bare this week as locals in the city — a powerhouse economic hub in China’s southwest that is home to 21 million people — feared a repeat of the months-long lockdown in the eastern megalopolis of Shanghai earlier this year.
Long lines of residents queued for mandatory testing, while videos verified by AFP showed supermarket shelves cleared of produce.
One local, who asked to remain anonymous, told AFP he believed “everyone was crazily stocking up for goods” because of the experience of Shanghai, which was hit by food shortages during its lockdown.
The 25-year-old said he had been in the eastern city during its shutdown and had since been “habitually stocking up” before Chengdu’s latest measures were announced.
Under the rules, in force until Sunday, each household will be allowed to send one person out to buy groceries and essential goods per day, provided they have tested negative for COVID-19 in the previous 24 hours, an official notice said.
It added that all residents would be tested for the virus, urging them not to leave the city unless “absolutely necessary”.
The mood appeared calmer on social media Friday, with some residents saying they were able to order food to be delivered to their apartment gates and to go out to buy groceries.
Others said they had resorted to sleeping at their offices in order not to miss work.
Authorities had initially sought to quash talk of a looming lockdown, with police saying they had detained a man for “creating panic” after he warned that the city could shut down.
His case drew online attention Friday, with many on the Twitter-like Weibo platform questioning his punishment and calling him a “hero” for warning his fellow citizens.
Authorities have ordered multiple rounds of mass testing between Thursday and Sunday, with the city reporting 150 local COVID-19 infections on Friday, 47 of which displayed no symptoms.
China is the last major economy wedded to a zero-COVIDpolicy, stamping out virus flare-ups with snap shutdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines.
That has proved increasingly challenging since the emergence of the fast-spreading Omicron strain, with all of China’s mainland provinces reporting local infections over the past ten days.
Five districts in the southern tech hub of Shenzhen closed bars and cinemas on Thursday, with rumours of a citywide lockdown prompting a run on online grocery apps.
Last month, travellers in the southern island province of Hainan protested after more than 80,000 tourists were stranded in a resort city because of a COVID-19 flare-up.
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