Ban Ki-moon expected to visit the region this weekend
Aid agencies have announced that disease outbreaks pose new risks for the victims of the monsoon floods in Pakistan, which have already killed more than 1,600 and left two million people without homes. The UN has said it is increasingly worried about water-borne diseases, such as fatal acute watery diarrhea, will sweep the devastated region and some officials warn of indications that there has already been a cholera outbreak. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to visit Pakistan this weekend to discuss the crisis with local leaders, who have been criticized for a slow response to one of the worst catastrophes in the country’s history. “Children are dying now as we speak because of lack of access to clean drinking water,” said Pascal Cuttat, International Committee of the Red Cross Head of Delegation in Islamabad. Food prices have been soaring as a result of damage to crops caused by the flooding.