The aftermath of the “apocalyptic” flash flooding in Pakistan in 2022 may have been the moment the world woke up to the impact that climate change has on health.
The surge of water created perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes, causing malaria and dengue cases to spike drastically. Massive cholera outbreaks erupted as sewage-infused flood water contaminated drinking water. Routine illnesses became life-threatening as people stuck on inland islands were unable to reach care.
“The realization that the world is having is that this is no longer about polar bears on ice drifts,” said Martin Edlund, chief executive officer of Malaria No More. “It's about the images that we saw in Pakistan of families floating their children in makeshift rafts to try to escape a flood that covered 30% of the landmass.”