Islamabad: Pakistan’s devastating monsoon floods have already killed 910 people and left more than 1,000 injured, World Health Organization (WHO) Monday said but officials and health experts warn the real disaster may be only just beginning, as epidemics of dengue, malaria, diarrhoea and other deadly diseases threaten to claim far more lives than the floodwaters themselves.
The World Health Organization (WHO), in its latest Health Emergency Situation Report #8 – Monsoon and Floods 2025, said the catastrophe has affected more than five million people since late June, submerging vast areas of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Islamabad has also reported casualties.
The toll is staggering: 504 lives lost in KP, 234 in Punjab, 58 in Sindh, 41 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 38 in Kashmir, 26 in Balochistan and nine in Islamabad. Among the dead are 241 children and 149 women. Another 1,044 people have been injured, including 315 children and 285 women.
Beyond the deaths, the destruction has crippled daily life. Nearly 7,850 homes and 239 bridges have been destroyed or damaged, while 671 kilometres of roads lie in ruins. More than 6,000 livestock have perished, dealing a heavy blow to rural food security. The health system itself is reeling, with 120 facilities damaged — eight completely wiped out. In KP alone, 68 Lady Health Workers’ residences have been destroyed, undermining vital outreach.
But it is the spread of disease that has doctors most alarmed. Dengue fever clusters have been confirmed in Murree, Rawalpindi, Muzaffarabad and Bagh. Acute watery diarrhoea has surfaced in Landikotal and Astore. Malaria cases are rising in multiple districts. Skin infections, scabies, eye infections, snake bites and even rabies are adding to the mounting crisis. “This is the point where a natural disaster turns into a full-blown health emergency,” one doctor in KP warned.
Overcrowded relief camps and cut-off villages are particularly vulnerable. Experts caution that prolonged displacement, shortages of safe water, and the absence of sanitation facilities could ignite uncontrollable epidemics in the weeks to come.
Despite large-scale rescue operations, the needs are overwhelming. More than 2.4 million people have been evacuated in 4,500 operations, with Punjab alone accounting for 2.26 million as the Ravi, Chenab and Sutlej rivers swelled dangerously. At least 1,632 relief camps now shelter 85,856 people, but conditions remain precarious.
Medical teams are struggling to cope. In Punjab, 977 temporary medical camps have treated thousands of patients; KP has 421, Sindh 178, and smaller numbers operate in Gilgit-Baltistan. Together they have treated more than 313,000 people so far. Yet WHO warns access to healthcare is patchy: of the 120 damaged facilities, eight are completely out of service and 24 are unreachable due to wrecked roads. Even where services are available, shortages of medicines, mosquito nets, safe water and hygiene kits are compounding the crisis.
Authorities are scrambling to respond. Punjab and KP have rushed in doctors, nurses and rapid response teams, while WHO and other partners have dispatched millions of medical items, including oral rehydration salts, antimalarials, and therapeutic foods for malnourished children. In Gilgit-Baltistan, plans are underway for a replacement village for families displaced in Tali Das.
Yet the crisis is far from contained. Relief officials say immediate priorities are restoring access to essential health services, preventing post-flood epidemics, and protecting vulnerable groups in camps. Mental health support has also emerged as an urgent need for families traumatised by the loss of homes and loved ones.
As the monsoon season enters its final stretch, forecasts of fresh rains in Sindh, Punjab, KP and Kashmir are fuelling fresh fears. For millions already displaced, the coming weeks may decide whether Pakistan can avert a second tragedy — one not caused by floodwaters, but by the deadly diseases now rising in their wake.
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