A Patient diagnosed with a skin disease, seeking treatment at Obo health centre. Picture courtesy of Senior Dumo.
By: Jim John
More than 200 people have been treated when an outbreak of respiratory illness broke in Middle Fly District earlier this month.
With the ongoing heavy rains and flooding affecting parts of the Western Province, the situation has gone from bad to worse with the locals health badly affected.
High number of skin diseases, diarrhea, strong cough, vomiting, tropical ulcers, high fever and other waterborne diseases has been reported and treated, with the health workers doing their best to treat the patients with the few available medications on hand.
Currently, the Obo health center is no longer in operation , because of the high flood caused by the continuous rains has covered the health facilities . There is an urgent call for the health center to be relocated to higher grounds.
Patients are using dugout canoes and dinghies to seek medical treatments because there is no dry ground to walk to.
Both Boboa health centre and Aiambak aidpost are also receiving more patients diagnosed with waterborne diseases such as skin itchiness, severe diarrhoea, dysentery and typhoid.
Flood has also hit Delta Fly District where food gardens and homes have been destroyed leaving the local desperate for clean water and food supplies.
It is now three months since the flood first hit Delta Fly and Middle Fly Districts , putting peoples lives in danger.
Last week, the Fly River Provincial Government and four District Development Authorities informed the affected villages to give relief supplies.
Health workers in Middle Fly District are calling on the Provincial Government and district leaders to engage additional health response unit to support the health workers on the ground to treat increasing number of patients.
