Impact of prolonged flooding in Pakistan: In the middle of unexpected health emergency

Floods are the most frequent disaster risk factor, and they have significantly increased morbidity and mortality globally. However, the health effects of a specific flood depend on the surrounding circumstances and the current situation in Pakistan indicates that it is leading to a serious health crisis. The immediate health effects of flooding include waterborne and vector-transmitted diseases. The evacuation of patients, loss of medical personnel, and destruction of critical medical supplies and equipment are also overburdening the Pakistani healthcare system. The indirect effects of flooding include infected wounds, poisoning, poor mental health, infectious infections, and famine. Long-term consequences could include starvation, chronic illness, disability, poor mental health, and diseases linked to poverty. In this letter to the editor, we discussed the challenges, efforts, and recommendations that can facilitate the system.