Submission ID 131763
| Issue/Objective | As climate-induced disasters escalate globally, Pakistan's 2022 floods-impacting 33 million people, displacing 7.9 million, and damaging over 1,400 health facilities-serve as a critical case study in climate-adaptive public health surveillance. With Sindh and Balochistan experiencing 471% and 411% above-normal rainfall respectively, waterborne and vector-borne diseases surged. This abstract examines Pakistan's adaptive transformation of its Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) system during the floods and assesses its potential scalability across other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). |
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| Methodology/Approach | In response to the flooding emergency, Pakistan rapidly transitioned its DHIS-2 platform from weekly to daily reporting, redesigned data collection tools to capture flood-relevant priority diseases (including ARI, acute watery diarrhea, malaria, and dengue), and developed a rapid training module for over 2,000 frontline responders. In regions where electricity and internet were disrupted, SMS-based reporting and paper forms ensured continuity. GIS mapping was integrated with meteorological data to identify inaccessible or high-risk areas, enabling targeted interventions. Additional innovations-including mobile data collection tools and localized health messages-were deployed to support real-time outbreak detection and equitable service delivery. |
| Results | Between August and December 2022, the enhanced IDSR captured 1,532,963 suspected cases across 75 flood-affected districts. Sindh reported 692,673 cases, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 568,682, Balochistan 167,215, and Punjab 104,393. High positivity rates were observed for malaria (39.4%), acute diarrhea (37.1%), hepatitis A/E (18.7%), and dengue (18.6%). The crude mortality rate was 11.9 per 10,000 (1,824 deaths). Surveillance expanded to 25 newly targeted districts, and over 900,000 individuals were reached through emergency vaccination campaigns and health messaging. These efforts strengthened early warning capabilities and informed resource prioritization, contributing to improved national health security indicators-including Pakistan's raised Joint External Evaluation (JEE) score in 2023. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | Pakistan's experience demonstrates that even amid extreme climate shocks, existing public health systems-when rapidly adapted-can deliver robust, low-cost solutions. The IDSR model offers practical scalability across LMICs through digital integration, local capacity building, and cross-sectoral coordination, providing a replicable blueprint for climate-resilient health surveillance. |
| Presenters and Affiliations | Saeeda Bibi Health Department Huma Khattak National institute Health IDSR Ali Rehman Khan National Institute of Health (NIH) Asif khan UKHSA |
