Floods Displace Thousands in Pakistan, Vaccination Teams Respond to Prevent Outbreaks

Strategic Insights -

Disaster has struck again in Pakistan's northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with tens of thousands displaced by flash floods in August. The crisis has been exacerbated by the pre-existing aftermath of the 2022 floods, which affected 33 million people. As the waters recede, vaccination teams have been working tirelessly to prevent disease outbreaks, despite facing numerous challenges in the process.

Key Takeaways:

  • A total of 23,430 people have been displaced, out of which 3,905 families have been relocated to various shelters.
  • The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has declared nine districts in the province as disaster-hit areas.
  • Over 2.5 million people have been displaced countrywide by the monsoon deluges.
  • 396 deaths, 190 injuries, and over 2,113 homes and 266 schools have been destroyed across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
  • Mobile workshops and mobile vaccination teams have been dispatched to start work in the flood-affected areas.
  • Measles cases have been reported in the affected areas, with more than two dozen cases at the time of writing.
  • Special teams have also been dispatched to mountainous and hard-to-reach villages to vaccinate children.
  • Over 700 children have been vaccinated so far in the affected union councils, with measles booster shots, BCG, pentavalent, rotavirus, and typhoid vaccines being administered.
  • The community's response to vaccinating their children has been overwhelmingly positive.
  • The federal Ministry of Health has sent 150,000 doses of pentavalent vaccine, 250,000 doses of measles-rubella vaccine, and 30,000 primaquine tablets for malaria prevention to support flood-hit populations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
  • The provincial health department has been working closely with the federal government to continue vaccination in flood hit areas of the province.

Statistics:

  • 23,430 people displaced
  • 3,905 families relocated to shelters
  • 396 deaths
  • 190 injuries
  • Over 2,113 homes destroyed
  • 266 schools destroyed
  • 2.5 million people displaced countrywide
  • 25 EPI centres and 14 ice-lined refrigerators damaged
  • 2 dozen measles cases reported
  • 150,000 doses of pentavalent vaccine dispatched
  • 250,000 doses of measles-rubella vaccine dispatched
  • 30,000 primaquine tablets for malaria prevention dispatched
  • 700 children vaccinated with measles booster shots, BCG, pentavalent, rotavirus, and typhoid vaccines

Sources:

  • Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
  • Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA)
  • Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal
  • Dr Asghar Khan, Director of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Dr Nasir Shah Kakakhel, EPI Coordinator in Mansehra district
  • Aftab Alam, a Climate and Development Strategist, Resilient Future International