PESHAWAR: Adviser to the chief minister on health Ihtisham Ali on Wednesday warned of a surge in cases of acute respiratory infections, skin diseases and diarrhea in 11 flood-hit districts and urged humanitarian organisations to ensure the provision of clean drinking water for disease prevention. He also called for strict vigilance to avert malaria outbreaks.
“The health department is fully alive to the needs of flood victims and will provide them all medical assistance to prevent disease outbreaks,” Mr Ali told reporters here before leading a convoy of 10 trucks with medicines, food items and relief goods to the flood-hit districts.
The goods were arranged by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Foundation as the cases of communicable diseases in the calamity-affected regions totaled 3,037, including 1,770 in the last 24 hours.
A report from the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response System of the public health section at the directorate-general health services said 134,230 patients were examined in flood-hit areas, including 40,635 in the last 20 hours. It added that the province had recorded 330 deaths from flood-related incidents, while 336 people suffered injuries.
According to the report, the calamity damaged 57 health facilities and destroyed three. It said in the last 24 hours, 556 cases of acute respiratory infection were reported, while there were also complaints of malaria, bloody diarrhea, hypertension, dog and snake bites, and cutaneous leishmaniasis.
Accompanied by HF managing director Dr Khizar Hayat, the adviser said that a district-level health cluster had been activated to enhance coordination among the health department and partner organizations. The cluster will facilitate targeted relief efforts and ensure timely delivery of health services in flood-affected areas, he said.
Meanwhile, Director-General (Health Services) Dr Shahid Yunis told Dawn that the provincial control room was in contact with all districts and regularly monitored the situation after flooding. He said patients were being treated at health facilities where staff members were present round the clock, while 32 medical camps offered free medicines to patients.
The DG said the department had taken all possible measures to ensure that diseases don’t break out as trained staff had been working.
“We have deployed medical teams from the Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, in Shangla and Buner with all essential medicines,” he said.
Dr Yunis said the district health officers in Mardan, Swat, Swabi and Buner and other areas were playing an active part in ensuring medical work in the areas.
He also said health workers from the Bacha Medical Complex, Swabi, sent to the worst-hit areas had prevented disease outbreaks. The DG said the health department had dispatched 2,500 mosquito nets to Buner to prevent the spread of malaria and other vector-borne diseases.
He said administrations in the worst-hit districts had been supervising work of private organisations to ensure much-needed quality healthcare to the people.
“Until now, no public health issue has been reported as our officials are busy scaling up awareness about vector-, water- and food-borne diseases among the calamity-hit people in addition to providing them with healthcare services,” he said.
Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2025
