ISLAMABAD, 17 July 2024 – Thousands of children in Pakistan are at risk of deadly disease as the country braces itself for above normal monsoon rains and potential flooding that is becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change, said Save the Children.  

Almost 26,500 suspected cases of cholera, over 1.3 million cases of malaria and over 11,600 cases of dengue have already been recorded this year, according to the government’s National Institute for Health (NIH), an increase from 2023, with cases likely to rise as Pakistan prepares for what experts say will be another particularly wet monsoon season. 

Two years ago, devastating floods displaced more than 8 million people and submerged large parts of the country. The country’s Disaster Management Agency has warned that displacement, damage to infrastructure and an increase in diseases linked to flooding are likely this year.