The World Health Organization warns catastrophic flooding in Pakistan has left more than 3 million children in need of humanitarian assistance and at increased risk of disease, drowning and malnutrition. The WHO has declared the flooding a “grade 3 emergency” — its highest level. New satellite images showed how unprecedented monsoon rains have created a 60-mile-wide inland lake around the overflowing Indus River, leaving a huge swath of Pakistan underwater. United Nations officials warn the flooding of hospitals and clinics could compound the spread of water-borne diseases like dengue and malaria.
Stéphane Dujarric: “According to government figures, close to 900 health facilities have been damaged or destroyed in Pakistan, leaving millions of people without access to healthcare and medical treatment.”