Flood-hit Pak gives nod to buy 6.2 mn mosquito nets from India
Oct 11, 2022
Islamabad [Pakistan], October 12 : The Pakistan government on Tuesday gave a nod to the country's health ministry to procure 6.2 million mosquito nets from India, in a bid to protect the public from vector-borne diseases after the last month's devastating floods that killed more the 1,600 people.
"Malaria is spreading at a rapid pace in 32 flood-affected districts of the country where thousands of children are infected with the mosquito-borne diseases," Pakistan health officials were quoted as saying by The News International.
The Pakistani officials said the emergence of malaria in flood-ravaged areas compelled the country's health ministry to seek permission to procure mosquito nets from India last month.
"The Global Fund will provide financial resources to the World Health Organization (WHO) to procure mosquito nets from India for the flood affectees in Pakistan," they added.
The Pakistani officials said they are planning to obtain the nets as early as possible and are hopeful that these would be obtained by the mid of November via the Wagah route.
Last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) expressed deep concerns about the potential for a "second disaster" in Pakistan due to a wave of diseases.
WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said that health centres had been flooded, their supplies damaged and people had moved away from their homes.
"Government and partners are providing safe drinking water and access to toilets to lower the risks of disease from dirty water. WHO has provided water purification kits and oral rehydration salts to manage diarrhoeal diseases. Partners are also helping ensure safer housing and bed nets to protect against mosquitoes and the diseases they carry," the WHO chief said in a statement.
Earlier this month, the United Nations launched the revised flash appeal of USD 816 million to respond to the needs of people affected by climate-induced floods in Pakistan.
The revised '2022 Pakistan Floods Response Plan' (FRP) was shared with UN member states and humanitarian organizations today in Geneva, according to United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
"The revised appeal urgently seeks USD 816 million to respond to the growing lifesaving needs of the people - a jump of USD 656 million from the initial appeal of USD 160 million," the OCHA said in a press statement.
This increase reflects the rising needs and the unprecedented scale of destruction caused by the current climate-induced disaster which has affected a population of 33 million, cost 1,600 lives and threatens hundreds of thousands more as a second disaster looms within the first one.
