WHO: Pakistan is on the verge of a health catastrophe
The World Health Organization warned today, Tuesday, that Pakistan is on the brink of a health disaster after severe floods, with millions of people infected with diseases due to the spread of waterborne diseases.
"The water has stopped rising, but the danger is not. We are on the brink of a health disaster," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, during the launch of an urgent appeal at the United Nations in Geneva.
The United Nations said it needed 816 million dollars for relief work in Pakistan, which witnessed the worst floods in the country's history, followed by diseases that killed more than 2,000 people since mid-June.
The new appeal is significantly higher than the amount requested by the United Nations last August and amounted to 160 million dollars.
Outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, malaria and dengue fever in the worst-affected Sindh region have sparked fears of a second disaster.
About half of the 33 million people affected still live in temporary shelters.
"More lives could be lost than in the floods in the coming weeks if we do not mobilize more support for Pakistan," Ghebreyesus said.
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