(September 2010) At least 16 million Pakistanis have had to leave their homes because of historic monsoon rains that flooded a large swath of the country.1 The UN estimates the flooding has caused the deaths of 1,600 people, but the worst health effects are still ahead. There are reports of an upsurge of gastroenteritis, diarrhea, and skin-related diseases, and health experts worry about increases in malaria and water-borne diseases like typhoid and cholera.2

The millions of people who lost homes, livestock, and livelihoods will be vulnerable to malnutrition and health problems for some time. UNICEF and other relief organizations are working "with the government to ensure that basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services are repaired to prevent major disease outbreaks."3 The situation threatens to reverse recent gains in infant and maternal health and undercut efforts to reduce poverty and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.