In response to rising malaria cases, flood-ravaged Pakistan will buy more than 62 lakh mosquito nets from India, according to a report from Pakistan news outlet Geo TV. With unprecedented flooding, the country is trying to contain the spread of malaria and other vector-borne diseases.
The World Health Organization (WHO) uses the Global Fund’s financial resources to acquire the nets for Pakistan, Geo TV report said.
WHO officials said they plan to get mosquito nets as soon as possible and hope to get them through the Wagah route next month, the report said.
Health officials, experiencing difficulties in treating patients, told Geo.tv that malaria is spreading at a rapid pace in 32 flood-affected districts of Pakistan, where thousands of children are infected with the mosquito-borne disease. They said malaria has emerged as a major public health problem in flood-affected areas.
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More than 1,700 people were killed, 33 million displaced and a third of the country was submerged in the worst floods to hit Pakistan, triggered by unprecedented rainfall since mid-June.
In September, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that a rise in diseases such as malaria could cause a “second disaster”. Last week, the WHO warned of 2.7 million malaria cases in 32 districts in flood-stricken Pakistan by January 2023.
According to the WHO, malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is preventable and curable. In 2020, there were an estimated 241 million cases of malaria worldwide. The estimated number of deaths from malaria was 627,000 in 2020.
(With inputs from PTI)