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Pakistan floods: urgent need for long-term strategies to prevent disease outbreaks

Public health epidemiologist and LSHTM Research Degree Student, Ruwan Ratnayake, comments on the importance of surveillance and response to prevent and control disease outbreaks in Pakistan following the recent devastating floods.
Ruwan Ratnayake quote card

Pakistan is one of the most epidemic-prone countries in the world, with ever-present outbreaks of dengue, malaria, and the persistence of poliomyelitis transmission. Now, unprecedented flooding due to deadly monsoon rains is burdening 33 million of the country’s 222 million population.

Flooding persistently exposes populations to standing water and leads to pervasive faecal contamination in wells and drinking water. This promotes the emergence of waterborne diseases including cholera, hepatitis E, and typhoid, giving rise to large-scale outbreaks that are very difficult to control.

Read more for the rest of Ruwan's comment on disease outbreaks following flooding in Pakistan

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