A cholera epidemic has broken out among some of the estimated 300,000 people in northwestern Pakistan who have fled fighting between government forces and militants, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Friday.The situation in Bajaur Agency remains 'very volatile' despite a government-declared ceasefire for Ramazan, a senior ICRC official said.
The humanitarian agency's top priority is providing clean water and sanitation to the tens of thousands who fled Bajaur for nearby Lower Dir district since the conflict intensified four weeks ago. "Cholera has started in certain areas...It is a major concern," Pascal Cuttat, head of ICRC's delegation in Pakistan, told a news briefing. "The most immediate need remains access to clean water and sanitation. No food, health care or shelter is going to be of any good if people get water-borne diseases," he said.
Cholera was already endemic in the area, he said. It begins with acute watery diarrhea that in severe cases can cause death by dehydration and kidney failure within hours.