Shahaan Shafi is fundraising
Pakistan Floods: Help us Provide Medical Relief!
As a result of excessive monsoon rainfall throughout August, Pakistan has been plunged into a flooding crisis of unprecedented magnitude. According to UNICEF, 33 million individuals, including 16 million children, have been affected. Moreover, the floods have affected all of Pakistan’s provinces, including Balochistan, Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Punjab, Azad Kashmir, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK). With floods covering approximately ⅓ of the country as of August, the path to rebuilding the country looks long. To put the devastation in perspective, check out these statistics courtesy of the United Nations and Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (as of August 31):
- 33 million people affected
- 1,100 deaths
- Over 10 billion dollars in damages
- Over 1 million homes damaged
- 682,000 collapsed homes
In review of such statistics, the Pakistani government predicts that the 2022 floods will surpass the destruction caused by the devastating floods of 2010, the deadliest in the nation’s history. Through ravaging roads, crops, homes, cattle, communication lines, electricity systems, clean water supplies, and bridges, recovering from these floods will take years, if not an entire decade.
However, things get worse. Natural disasters like floods tend to have massive health impacts. Simply speaking, due to their toxic nature, flood waters increase the transmission of infectious and contagious diseases. These diseases include (and are not limited to): dengue fever, malaria, skin infections, eye infections, diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid fever. Thus, those living in flood-affected areas are at severe risk to several infectious and communicable diseases, which, according to preliminary estimates by the World Health Organization, will cause more deaths than the floods themselves. With over 900 health facilities damaged, millions of Pakistanis cannot access adequate treatment for such waterborne diseases. Consequently, we must play our part in raising funds to address the healthcare relief aspect of flood relief efforts.
Here at the Infection Prevention Control Foundation USA & IPAC Foundation, infection prevention is paramount. To address the infectious disease threat posed by the floods, IPAC Foundation and IPAC USA have initiated Flood Funds: Hands to Help, a project to assist those in dire need of medical assistance in flood-hit areas. So far, we have conducted eight camps and supply distributions (these projects can be found on IPAC Foundation’s website at floodrelief.ipacfoundation.org). Nonetheless, due to the momentous devastation, more action is required to help as many individuals as possible; therefore, we need funds. The following details the supplies in which the funds would be allocated towards the following:
- First Aid Kits
- Medical Test Kits
- Medicines
- Antiseptics
- Personal Hygiene
- Water Bottles
- Dry Food Items
- Clothes
- Tents
- Blankets
With the nation that we, and millions of others, dearly love, it honestly tears me apart to see the suffering our people, including children, are enduring. Following traumatizing flooding, no Pakistani should have to endure the added burden placed by infectious disease outbreak. So, please, no matter the amount, donate to help alleviate such a severe crisis!
Sincerely,
The IPAC USA team (Shahaan Shafi, Tim Gambla, Jenna Jazayerli, Sereen Hassaballa, Andrew Kassab, Chris Cavero, and Shay Doshi) & the Pakistan Walk Organizing Committee (Umair Memon, Faris Siddiqui, Leah Bradley, Joseph Knight-Jones)
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