Journal of Geography  & Natural Disasters
Open Access

Abstract

Has the Root Cause of Health Issues during Floods been Over-looked and Mismanagement? With Special reference to July-August 2010 Flood

Syed Iazaz Ahmad Bukhari and Shahid Hassan Rizvi

Major floods in Pakistan have always complicated the situation with serious health issues. As flood affected people have been directly in contact with flood waters, so, suffer from skin diseases- dermatitis, fungal infections, skin allergies and scabies- they also suffer from diarrheal diseases and doctors normally treat diarrheal patients as cholera patients. Respiratory diseases – upper and lower respiratory tract infections-are also common during flood. Floods also bring about wounds- Puncture wounds- and injuries, during 2010 flood from overall the country 2,697 injured people are on records. The flood affected people also suffered from gastric complaints and the bites of harmful creatures like snake. Infants and children with weaker immunity system are prone to diseases - measles, cholera and malaria-. Floods always bring with them problems for the female. During 2010 Pakistan floods Care International treated 5424 patients of which 1682 were women.