Flood's First Cholera Case Confirmed

The bad news continues to pour forth from Pakistan: As the massive floods entered previously untouched regions Saturday, the United Nations confirmed its first cholera case among survivors. And despite the U.S. government’s effort to commit $76 million and amp up aid in the area in an effort to boost relations with the region, foreign help mostly remains slow in arriving, with health organizations warning that more deaths will come without more assistance. So far, roughly 20 million people—about 12 percent of the population—have been affected by the flooding, and 1,600 have died. “If not managed, the dislocation of such a large number of people who have been deprived of their homes and livelihood, coupled with the destruction of vast chunks of largely agricultural territory along the country's core Indus River region, can easily translate into massive social unrest," said Stratfor, an analytical firm, in an assessment. “Thus far, the government has not demonstrated much capability.”