KOT ADDU The deadly floods have left a deep impact on the people in the affected areas, leaving them vulnerable to water- and insect-borne diseases. Water has receded in the areas of Kot Addu tehsil and Muzaffargarh but nearly one-fourth of the affected people in these areas are suffering from various diseases, which if not checked now could turn into deadly epidemics. There is urgent need to start vaccination of children, most of whom are malnourished, in order to save them from different diseases. The floodwater in areas of Mahmood Kot, Sunawan, Qasba Gujrat, Sultan Colony, Baga Shah and Baseer has receded but a huge volume of stagnant water around the devastated settlements poses serious health hazards. The stagnant water is fast becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Fears of the breakout of malaria and dengue fever loom large. While surveying the affected areas, this scribe came across many mobile medical teams working in the area. It is heartening to see so many volunteers working in the most difficult conditions. A permanent medical camp has been set up at Tibba Jamal Wala near Kot Addu Road by the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund. According to Programme Officer Hameed and his assistants Azra Batool and Shadab Batool, 90 people were treated at the camp on Thursday. A number of organisations including PAF, Pakistan Army, Punjab Government, NGOs and religious organisations are doing relief work in the area. 50 percent cases were of chest infections. The chest infections are increasing at an alarming rate. This may be due to the dampness in the area. Earlier there used to be fewer cases. A large number of people are suffering from dermatitis, eye and ear infections. Cases of gastro, scabies and malaria are also being treated. We had today one case of snake bite, they said. Hepatitis A and E and the typhoid fever pose another significant risk for the vulnerable affected population. Interestingly the vaccine of snake bite is not available in all the camps of different organisations. The cases are referred to the community health centre seven kilometres away and then to the district hospital. Majority of the children the scribe visited in the different relief camps is malnourished. Most of the children are suffering from different skin diseases and allergies. They have skin rashes and pimples on which the large number of flies can be seen hovering about. Most of the children in flood affected areas have never been vaccinated to fight against any disease. There is need to vaccinate them on emergency basis. This should be done on top priority so that these kids may develop immunity against the diseases like cholera, polio, hepatitis, measles, chickenpox and typhoid. The rise in number of chest infections poses a serious risk as for the people living in cramped living conditions as simple cough can turn into a case of pneumonia. It may be hot in the afternoon but the weather is changing quickly and the nights are increasingly becoming cold. There is acute shortage of medicines of all types. Medicines are not available for people who are suffering from other diseases like diabetes, hypertension, tuberculosis and heart diseases. The patients suffering from such diseases have to go to Muzaffargarh and Multan to purchase medicines to continue with their medical courses. It is very disturbing since most of them cannot afford to buy the medicines and bear the expenses of travel. The cost of travelling has increased manifold, adding to the woes of affected people. Transporters, in the eyes of the affected people, have become merchants of misery. The health concerns need to be addressed on priority basis. But at the same time there is also need to provide the affected people with the basic necessities of life inculding bedding, clothes and access to clean water and toilets. Currently most of the people are deprived of all these facilities. The tents in which they live provide little protection from the various hazards they are likely to face in the coming months. We cannot afford the luxury of delay.