Assessing multisectoral collaboration and disease patterns amid 2025 floods: One health perspective

Title : Assessing multisectoral collaboration and disease patterns amid 2025 floods: One health perspective

Abstract:

Background: Disasters require coordinated multisectoral engagement for effective risk assessment, preparedness, response, and recovery. The 2025 floods in Sindh, Pakistan affected millions of people and livestock, revealing gaps in coordination under a One Health framework. This study assessed multisectoral collaboration and disease patterns during the flood response.
Methods: A mixed-methods study design was used. Data were collected from human and veterinary health camps to assess disease trends and service delivery, including immunization activities. Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) advisories on flooding were reviewed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with stakeholders to explore collaboration among human, animal, and environmental health sectors.
Results: A total of 212,323 human consultations were recorded, including gastroenteritis (16,395), respiratory infections (21,319), skin infections (28,737), eye infections (8,284), and 754 confirmed malaria cases. Livestock interventions included vaccination of 7.1 million animals, treatment of 164,232 cases, antiparasitic administration in 277,439 animals, and relocation of 1.6 million animals, with reported losses of 519. No integrated outbreak investigations were conducted. Zoonotic and avian disease surveillance was absent. Environmental monitoring, WASH coordination, and laboratory-based surveillance systems were non-functional, resulting in fragmented and siloed data systems.
Conclusion: The response highlighted major gaps in multisectoral coordination, particularly in zoonotic surveillance, laboratory integration, and environmental monitoring. Strengthening a unified One Health platform, mobile outbreak investigation teams, field laboratories, and integrated environmental surveillance is essential to improve disaster preparedness and response.
Keywords: One Health; Floods; Multisectoral Collaboration; Disaster Response; Pakistan

Biography:

Dr Mohammad Ali is a public health professional working in the Department of Health, Sindh Province, Pakistan. His work focuses on field epidemiology, disaster response, and One Health approaches in resource-limited settings. He has experience in surveillance, outbreak response, and multisectoral coordination during public health emergencies. His current interests include climate-sensitive diseases, health system resilience, and integrated disease surveillance strengthening in flood-affected regions of Pakistan.