Torrential monsoon rain has recently caused the worst flooding ever seen in Pakistan's history. World Health Organization (WHO) and Oxfam figures put the current death toll at over 1700. However, because large areas of Pakistan are inaccessible, an accurate figure of those who have died may never be known. In addition, the floods have also adversely affected between 15 and 20 million people (WHO, 2010a). Of these, at least six million now need urgent humanitarian assistance, food, water and medicines. As Watson et al (2007) maintain, the risk factors for outbreaks of disease after natural disasters are primarily associated with population displacement. With millions of displaced people currently living in cramped (often unhygienic) camps, the risk of disease is great. Water-borne diseases, typhoid, cholera, dehydration and diarrhoea now threaten the lives of a significant proportion of Pakistan's displaced population.
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