Pakistan floods: Dengue cases soaring after record monsoon
Pakistani health officials are warning of a looming health crisis in the country after devastating recent floods, BBC reported.
Thirty-three million people have been affected by the flooding, which has left nearly 1,500 dead since the middle of June.
As rescue and evacuation efforts continue in parts of the country, health experts are reporting a surge in dengue, malaria and severe gastric infections.
Many displaced people are living near stagnant water. Dengue fever is already claiming lives and cases are increasing by the day.
About 3,830 cases of dengue fever have been reported by health officials in southern Sindh province, with at least nine deaths, but there are concerns this may be a conservative estimate.Overall the situation in Sindh is very bad, we are organising medical camps all over the province. Most of the cases we are seeing now are of dengue patients followed closely by malaria," Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro, secretary general of the Pakistan Medical Association, told the BBC.
Dr Shoro, who has been treating scores of dengue patients at Agha Khan hospital in Karachi, fears the situation is only going to worsen in the coming weeks, according to BBC.
Nepal reports 119 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday
Nepal recorded 119 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 4, 084 swab samples were tested in the last 24 hours, of which 119 were tested positive. The Ministry said that 130 infected people recovered from the disease. As of today, there are 2, 191 active cases in the country.
Training on climate resilient begins
With an aim to minimize the impact of natural disasters and to strengthen climate resilient infrastructure at the local level, a two-day long training on climate resilient and sustainable urban infrastructure started today in Kathmandu. A total of 30 officials including municipal engineers and chiefs of the Departments of Environment from 15 municipalities of seven provinces participated in the training organized by Town Development Fund (TDF), under the European Union (EU) supported Municipal Finance and Capacity Building (MFCB) Program. Speaking at the inaugural event, stakeholders have called to introduce development interventions that mitigate and adapt climate change impacts at the local level. Observing that the cities of Nepal today face multiple challenges in making climate resilient urban infrastructures, Er. Krishna Prasad Sapkota, Executive Director of the TDF said, "Urban investment must be climate resilient, for which a paradigm shift is needed in our thinking, planning and execution of programs from local to federal levels." Strategies and action plans of urban infrastructures should focus on climate resilient, inclusive and green growth to counter unexpected disasters resulting from the climate change, Sapkota added. Mim Hamal, Senior Program Manager at the Delegation of the European Union to Nepal, said that climate change and climate finance issues are of great importance. Hoping that the training would be very useful for local governments to plan and execute climate change adaptation practices, Hamal added, "We should be mindful of the climate impact while investing in infrastructure development." Saroj Nepal, National Program Coordinator at the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) stressed that the infrastructure asset management should be carried out being mindful of the climate change impacts. To this end, UNCDF has been supporting the initiatives targeted to urban investment and capacity building of municipalities, he added. Kapil Dev Gyawali, Program Coordinator at MFCB, said that the four-year long program that began in January 2019, has been providing technical assistance to enhance the capacity of municipalities and the TDF to nurture local economic development through blending financing. Surya Bahadur Karki, Chief of the Human Resources at the TDF, said that the two-day long training would enhance the capacities of municipal officials to design action plans for mitigating climate change impacts. The technical sessions that range from weather and climate, climate resilient infrastructure to disaster risk reduction and urban health, and resource efficiency are being facilitated by Climate Change Experts Dr. Ashok Kumar Pokharel and Dr. Ngamindra Dahal.
Dengue and scrub typhus patients on rise in Baitadi
The number of dengue and scrub typhus patients has been rising in Baitadi district in recent periods. Scrub typhus has been diagnosed in 140 people and dengue in 13 persons since July 17 till September 13, the District Hospital Baitadi said. Hemanta Khadayat, the health assistant at the Hospital, said dengue and scrub typhus patients are also being found in other health facilities in the district. The Hospital has urged adopting precaution as it is possible that people who have not been examined can also carry scrub typhus and dengue infection. Hospital's information officer Harish Panta said that they have been detecting dengue and scrub typhus infection among the patients coming to the hospital on a daily basis of late. This shows that there is a risk of these diseases spreading. Meanwhile, the District Health Office has launched a public awareness and sanitation programme in view of the increasing number of dengue and scrub typhus cases in the district.
