In Pakistan, waterborne and mosquito-borne diseases are surging after unprecedented monsoon rains and glacial melt left a third of the nation underwater. Doctors in the southern Sindh province report a big rise in cases of malaria; severe gastric infections; and more than 4,000 cases of dengue that have led to at least nine deaths.
Dr. Fizza Naz: “Dengue is spreading fast these days. Out of every 100 patients, 90 are suffering from dengue. Some of them come here with severe symptoms.”
Pakistan’s floods have killed nearly 1,500 people and displaced an estimated 33 million people. This week climate experts at the World Weather Attribution initiative reported that climate change increased the intensity of Pakistan’s record rainfall by up to 50% during the flooding.