Pakistan grapples with dengue, other waterborne diseases in flood-hit areas

Men use a makeshift raft as they cross a flooded street in a residential area, following rains during the monsoon season in Hyderabad, Pakistan on September 5, 2022. (Reuters)
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Updated 06 September 2022
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Pakistan grapples with dengue, other waterborne diseases in flood-hit areas

  • In Sindh, cases of dengue and malaria spike as official says many affected areas are still inaccessible to medics
  • Charities, volunteers warn if disease outbreaks were not handled effectively, they could turn into a health emergency

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has been struggling to fight outbreaks of dengue and other waterborne diseases, particularly in the country's south, authorities said on Monday, with the government and charities setting up hundreds of medical camps nationwide to treat patients in flood-ravaged areas.  

Historic monsoon rains and melting glaciers in northern mountains brought cataclysmic floods, which have killed at least 1,314 and affected over 35 million people, according to data shared by the National Flood Response Coordination Centre (NFRCC). A third of the country is submerged and the extreme weather, widely attributed to climate change, is still expected to continue for the next few days.  

In the southern Sindh province, 511 people, including 219 children, have lost their lives, while thousands across the country are under attack by various vectorborne and waterborne diseases, including diarrhoea, malaria, skin infections and dengue, according to medics working in the field.  

Official data released by the Sindh government shows the spike in number of dengue cases from 361 in July to 1,336 in September, while 257 cases alone have been reported in first four days of September. The Sindh government has set up 110 medical camps and assigned 117 doctors and 277 paramedics, who have treated over 785,000 patients in flood-hit areas since July.  

“Mosquitoes are spreading rapidly in all floods-affected areas in Sindh province, leading to high number of daily dengue cases,” Mehar Khursheed, a spokesperson for the Sindh health department, told Arab News.  

“The cases of malaria are also increasing due to water contamination. A lot of places are still inaccessible to health teams and the real picture of diseases would be known only after the floods water recedes.”  

Khursheed said the government was planning aerial fogging of flood-hit areas to tackle the vectorborne diseases. “We are working on provision of special planes for aerial fogging as the situation regarding waterborne diseases was getting dangerous,” she said.  

According to a report by the Sindh health department, 94 people were diagnosed with dengue on Saturday, while 161 people were admitted in hospitals on Thursday and Friday.  

Dr. Omar Sultan, an official at Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Center (JPMC), the largest state-run health facility of the province, said some 50 people were currently admitted in four wards of the hospital in Karachi.  

“These are three percent of the patients as 97 percent of the patients are being sent to homes from out-patient departments (OPDs),” Dr, Sultan added. 

Sindh minister health, Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho, said the provincial government was dealing with diseases with the support of its international partners. 

“Supplies of antibiotics are being procured and distributed and internally displaced persons are being monitored to identify cases of respiratory issues, diarrhoea, which are immediate concerns,” she told Arab News. 

Dr Muhammad Anees, who is heading a medical relief camp set up by Al-Mustafa Welfare Society in Karachi, said almost every one of the flood victims, who took shelter in the southern port city, had some sort of infectious disease.  

“I have checked up over 250 people within two days, mostly diagnosed with gastric or skin problems, which has directly been caused by rains and subsequent flooding in their hometowns,” Dr Anees told Arab News, adding most of the patients had rashes below their knees due to wandering in water for long.  

“Waterborne diseases in flood victims are rampant. In few cases, the skin was rusted to a level to develop chlorides.”  

Teams of volunteer doctors have also set up camps in flood-hit areas of Punjab, with supplies of essential medicines to treat patients.  

“Cholera and diarrhoea are spreading fast in flood-hit districts of Punjab, where teams of doctors, volunteers and the provincial government are treating patients,” Dr Salman Haseeb, president of Young Doctors Association, told Arab News.  

Haseeb said their teams had set up at least 40 medical camps so far in Punjab and Sindh provinces to treat the patients. “The situation in Sindh and Balochistan provinces is extremely dangerous as our teams have been struggling to reach out to patients as almost all major roads have been washed away by the floods,” he said.  

He appealed to the Balochistan provincial government and the Pakistan Army to help them reach inaccessible areas in the southwestern province through helicopters. “If these diseases are not controlled timely through effective medical assistance, this could turn into another disaster,” Haseeb warned.  

A number of charities and welfare organisations have also mobilised their resources and manpower to reach flood-affected areas for rescue and relief work.  

Dr Zahid Latif, secretary of Al-Khidmat Foundation Health Services, said vectorborne diseases were spreading in all flood-hit areas across Pakistan and they had set up over 200 medical camps so far and treated around 70,000 patients for these diseases.  

More than 1,000 doctors and paramedics have been working with the foundation in flood-affected districts of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces to provide relief to affectees.  

“The outbreak of diseases in all flood-affected districts is extremely serious and could turn into a health emergency if not handled properly in the next couple of weeks,” he warned, adding that pregnant women and children were the most affected. 

“We will be distributing hygiene bags in the affected areas by next week containing soap, sanitary pads for women and other necessary items. We are also planning psycho-social rehabilitation of the affected people with help of our volunteers.”


Erdogan ally floats Turkiye constitutional amendment to let him extend his tenure

Updated 8 sec ago
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Erdogan ally floats Turkiye constitutional amendment to let him extend his tenure

ANKARA: The main political ally of longstanding Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that a constitutional amendment should be considered to allow the president to run again in elections set for 2028.
After his re-election last year, Erdogan is serving his last term as president unless parliament calls an early election, according to the constitution. He has ruled Turkiye for more than 21 years, first as prime minister and then as president.
“Wouldn’t it be a natural and right choice to have our president elected once again if terror is eradicated, and if a heavy blow is dealt to inflation and Turkiye secures political and economic stability,” said Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which is allied with Erdogan’s ruling AK Party (AKP).
A constitutional amendment to secure Erdogan’s ability to re-run in the presidential elections should be considered, he said in a parliamentary speech to MHP lawmakers.
Bahceli, a staunch nationalist, rattled Turkish politics last month by suggesting that the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) could be allowed to speak in parliament if he announces an end to the group’s insurgency.
Some analysts said the shock suggestion might be motivated by an AKP-MHP desire to win the support of the pro-Kurdish DEM Party, parliament’s third-biggest, for a constitutional change that could boost Erdogan’s prospects in 2028 elections.
A constitutional change can be put to a referendum if 360 lawmakers in the 600-seat parliament back it. An early election also needs the support of 360 MPs.
AKP and its allies have 321 seats while DEM has 57.


A tiny village in India where Kamala Harris has ancestral roots is praying for her victory

Updated 05 November 2024
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A tiny village in India where Kamala Harris has ancestral roots is praying for her victory

THULASENDRAPURAM: The temple reverberated with rhythmic Sanskrit and Tamil hymns, as a Hindu priest held a flame before the god. As this tiny South Indian village gathered to pray for Kamala Harris, a gaggle of reporters jostled for space and camera angles.
There's little to distinguish the village of Thulasendrapuram from any other rural community in Tamil Nadu, except its connection to a woman who could become America's first leader with South Asian roots.
As millions of Americans vote, Harris has people rooting for her from thousands of miles away in a village surrounded by rice paddies and coconut trees, where her mother's family has ancestral ties. They talk about her at the local tea shop. Banners and billboards bearing her face are seen throughout the community.
“Our deity is a very powerful God. If we pray well to him, he will make her victorious,” said M. Natarajan, the temple priest that led the prayers in front of the image of Hindu deity Ayyanar, a form of Lord Shiva.
Harris’ maternal grandfather was born in the village, about 350 kilometers (215 miles) from the southern coastal city of Chennai, more than 100 years ago. As an adult, he moved to Chennai, where he worked as a high-ranking government official until his retirement.
Harris has never visited Thulasendrapuram and she has no living relatives in the village, but people here still venerate the family that made it big in the U.S.
“Our village ancestors' granddaughter is running as a U.S. presidential candidate. Her victory will be happy news for every one of us,” Natarajan said.
The village's sudden fame has helped bring money into the village. Recently, construction began on a water storage tank with funds donated by a local bank. Village residents say it will carry a plaque with Harris’ name.
Harris’ late mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was born in India. After moving to the U.S. to study, she married a Jamaican man, and they named their daughter Kamala, a Sanskrit word for “lotus flower.”
Other than trips during her childhood, Harris hasn’t visited India much — particularly not since becoming vice president — but she has often spoken emotionally about her ties to her late mother’s country of birth. On Tuesday, she released a campaign video highlighting her mother, who arrived in the U.S. at age 19 and became a cancer researcher.
Titled “Mother,” the video ends with a narrator saying: “This daughter of Shyamala, this daughter of the American story, is ready to lead us forward.”
Harris has often talked about how she was guided by the values of her Indian-born grandfather and mother. She has also spoken of her love of south Indian food, especially a type of steamed rice cake called idli.
Harris’ name is engraved in a list of donors — her aunt Sarala Gopalan gave money to the temple in her name — along with that of her grandfather. Outside, a large banner wishes “the daughter of the land” success in the election.
On Tuesday, the village temple also received rare international visitors: two American tourists and one from the U.K., all wearing black t-shirts that said “Kamala Freakin Harris.”
Manikandan Ganesan, a villager who runs a small store near the temple, said Harris’ bid for the presidency has made the village famous. He hopes Harris will eventually visit them.
“Even if she mentioned that she would visit our village, it would make us very happy,” Ganesan said. “Her victory itself will be a big source of happiness for us.”
Village residents also prayed for Harris’ victory in 2020, and set off firecrackers when she became the U.S. Vice President.
For women of the village, the candidate's journey is a source of inspiration.
Local politician Arulmozhi Sudhakar said Harris embodies a significant step toward female empowerment in places like Thulasendrapuram, where a majority of women continue to face discrimination and gender inequality.
“From the time when women were not even allowed to step out of their house, to now a woman from our village contesting in the U.S. presidential election — this brings happiness for us,” Sudhakar said. “The coming generations will see her as a role model to succeed in life.”

Ukraine’s military says it shot down 48 drones and two missiles overnight

Updated 05 November 2024
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Ukraine’s military says it shot down 48 drones and two missiles overnight

KYIV: The Ukrainian military said on Tuesday it shot down 48 out of 79 drones and two missiles launched by Russia overnight.
The air force said the location of 30 other drones had been lost, while another had returned to Russia.


India foreign minister says vandalism of Hindu temples deeply concerning

Updated 05 November 2024
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India foreign minister says vandalism of Hindu temples deeply concerning

  • Vandalism incident happened weeks after Ottawa expelled six Indian diplomats, linking them to killing of Sikh separatist leader in 2023 
  • Canada has accused India of conducting a broad campaign against South Asian dissidents in Canada, which New Delhi denies 

SYDNEY: India foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Tuesday the vandalism of a Hindu temple in Canada on Monday was deeply concerning.
“What happened yesterday at the Hindu temple in Canada was obviously deeply concerning,” he told reporters in the Australian capital Canberra while on an official visit.
The incident happened weeks after Ottawa expelled six Indian diplomats, linking them to the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in 2023 in Canada. Canada has accused the Indian government of conducting a broad campaign against South Asian dissidents in Canada, which New Delhi denies.
The incident has increased tensions between Canada and India, and between Sikh separatists and Indian diplomats.
Two Hindu temples were also vandalized in Canberra last month, which Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said was upsetting for members of the Indian community.
“People across Australia have a right to be safe and respected, people also have a right to peaceful protest, people have a right to express their views peacefully,” she told reporters.
“We draw a line between that and violence, incitement of hatred or vandalism,” she added.
Wong said Australia had expressed its views to India about Canada’s allegations over the targeting of Sikh separatists, and Canberra respected Canada’s judicial process. Jaishankar said it was unacceptable that Indian diplomats had been placed under surveillance by Canada.
“Canada has developed a pattern of making allegations without providing specifics,” he said.


India foreign minister says vandalism of Hindu temples deeply concerning

Updated 05 November 2024
Follow

India foreign minister says vandalism of Hindu temples deeply concerning

  • Canada has accused the Indian government of conducting a broad campaign against South Asian dissidents in Canada, which New Delhi denies

SYDNEY: India foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Tuesday the vandalism of a Hindu temple in Canada on Monday was deeply concerning.
“What happened yesterday at the Hindu temple in Canada was obviously deeply concerning,” he told reporters in the Australian capital Canberra while on an official visit.
The incident happened weeks after Ottawa expelled six Indian diplomats, linking them to the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in 2023 in Canada. Canada has accused the Indian government of conducting a broad campaign against South Asian dissidents in Canada, which New Delhi denies.
The incident has increased tensions between Canada and India, and between Sikh separatists and Indian diplomats.
Two Hindu temples were also vandalized in Canberra last month, which Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said was upsetting for members of the Indian community.
“People across Australia have a right to be safe and respected, people also have a right to peaceful protest, people have a right to express their views peacefully,” she told reporters.
“We draw a line between that and violence, incitement of hatred or vandalism,” she added.
Wong said Australia had expressed its views to India about Canada’s allegations over the targeting of Sikh separatists, and Canberra respected Canada’s judicial process. Jaishankar said it was unacceptable that Indian diplomats had been placed under surveillance by Canada.
“Canada has developed a pattern of making allegations without providing specifics,” he said.