29.5 C
Athens
Παρασκευή, 21 Ιουνίου, 2024

Up to 4m children still living next to contaminated floodwater in Pakistan: Unicef

Περισσότερα Νέα

- Advertisement -

The UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) warned on Monday that up to four million children are still living near contaminated and stagnant floodwaters, risking their survival and well-being, more than four months after a national state of emergency was declared in Pakistan.

Acute respiratory infections among children, a leading cause of child mortality worldwide, have skyrocketed in the flood-stricken areas. In addition, the number of cases among children identified as suffering from severe acute malnutrition in the flood-affected areas monitored by Unicef nearly doubled between July and December as compared to 2021, and estimated 1.5m children are still in need of life-saving nutrition interventions.

Unicef’s current appeal of $173.5m to provide life-saving support to women and children affected by the floods remains only 37 per cent funded. “Children living in Pakistan’s flood-affected areas have been pushed to the brink,” said the Unicef Representative in Pakistan, Abdullah Fadil.

“The rains may have ended, but the crisis for children has not. Nearly 10m girls and boys are still in need of immediate, life-saving support and are heading into a bitter winter without adequate shelter. Severe acute malnutrition, respiratory and waterborne diseases, coupled with the cold, are putting millions of young lives at risk,” he added.

In Jacobabad district, where many families have little more than mere cloth to cover their makeshift shelters by stagnant floodwaters, temperatures have dropped to seven degrees Celsius at night.

- Advertisement -

In mountainous and high-altitude areas, which have also been affected by the floods, snow has fallen, and temperatures have dropped below zero degrees Celsius. Unicef and partners have started providing items such as warm clothing kits, jackets, blankets and quilts, aiming to reach nearly 200,000 children, women and men.

In response to the worsening child survival crisis, more than 800,000 children have been screened for malnutrition; 60,000 were identified as suffering from severely acute malnutrition — a life-threatening condition where children are too thin for their height — and referred for treatment with ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF).

Unicef’s health interventions have reached nearly 1.5m people with primary healthcare services so far, and 4.5m children have been immunised against polio in 16 flood-hit districts. The UN agency and its partners have also provided more than one million people with access to safe drinking water, and one million with hygiene kits.

In the months ahead, Unicef will continue to respond to urgent humanitarian needs, while also restoring and rehabilitating existing health, water, sanitation and education facilities for families returning home. “As families begin to return to their villages, our response has moved with them,” said Mr Fadil.

“Our mobile health, nutrition and water teams continue to respond to immediate life-saving needs, while we help restore and rehabilitate existing health, water, sanitation, and education facilities, supporting the government’s efforts in climate-resilient recovery and reconstruction, he added.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2023

- Advertisement -

ΑΠΑΝΤΗΣΤΕ

εισάγετε το σχόλιό σας!
παρακαλώ εισάγετε το όνομά σας εδώ

The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

Ροή ειδήσεων

ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ

Georgia’s Perilous Gamble: Awarding Anaklia Port Project to Chinese Company Mired in Corruption Scandals

In a move that has sent tremors through the nation, the Georgian government has made the controversial decision to award the Anaklia port project...

African Donkeys And Chinese Scientific Value

The Black Continent’s Beast Of Burden Pay A Heavy Price To Meet The Chinese Demand For Traditional Medicines Of Dubious Scientific Value By Vaishali Basu Sharma  Worth...

G7 leaders to issue strong warning against China trade practices

G7 leaders are set to warn China over its trade practices, which include “harmful overcapacity” and “market distortions,” according to a draft statement seen...

Rising Chinese Lending to Pakistan Presents an Acute Debt Trap

Pakistan’s federal government will present the budget for the financial year (FY) 2024-25 in the National Assembly on 12 June 2024. The date June...

ΔΗΜΟΦΙΛΗ ΑΡΘΡΑ

Γυναίκα Λιμενικός ”απαντάει” στον Αποστολόπουλο – Το βίντεο που έγινε viral

Ο Αποστολόπουλος λέει ότι οι λιμενικοί πετάνε μωρά στη θάλασσα.. Στην αλλη πλευρά η γυναίκα λιμενικός λέει : "Μας λένε ότι δε μας νοιάζουν...

Με ένα έγγραφο από καϊμακάμη και χωρίς άδεια, ο Έλγιν λεηλάτησε τον Παρθενώνα!

Μιχάλης Στούκας-protothema Τα Γλυπτά του Παρθενώνα, τα οποία κλάπηκαν από τον Σκωτσέζο Λόρδο Έλγιν πριν από 200 και πλέον χρόνια και βρίσκονται σήμερα στο Βρετανικό...

Ο Ρούτε, επικεφαλής του ΝΑΤΟ στην πιο κρίσιμη στιγμή

Όταν ο Μαρκ Ρούτε μετακομίσει στο γραφείο του στο ΝΑΤΟ, δεν θα έχει περίοδο χάριτος. Η εκστρατεία του απερχόμενου Ολλανδού πρωθυπουργού για τη θέση του...

Στο στόχαστρο της Πολεμικής Αεροπορίας τα C-13OH της Σαουδικής Αραβίας

Στο στόχαστρο της Πολεμικής Αεροπορίας βρίσκονται, σύμφωνα με πληροφορίες του Onalert.gr, τα C-130H της Royal Saudi Air Force καθώς οι Σαουδάραβες φέρονται έτοιμοι να...