Pakistan floods: WHO warns diseases could ‘get out of control’ as 9 more die

Officials are warning they now risk losing control of the spread of infections in a dire situation that UNICEF described as "beyond bleak."

At least nine more people have died from water-borne diseases in flood-hit areas of Pakistan, officials said on Tuesday, as actress Angelina Jolie made a surprise visit to the South Asian nation to meet people affected by the crisis.

An intense and long monsoon dumped around three times as much rain on Pakistan than on average in recent weeks, causing major flooding that killed 1,559 people, including 551 children and 318 women, according to the disaster management agency.

Officials are warning they now risk losing control of the spread of infections in a dire situation that UNICEF described as “beyond bleak.”

Hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the floods are living in the open and as flood waters spread over hundreds of kilometers (miles) start to recede, which officials say may take two to six months, stagnant waters have led to diseases like malaria, dengue fever, skin and eye infections and acute diarrhea.

Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie arrived in Pakistan and visited communities affected by flooding in Dadu district, one of the worst-hit areas in southern Pakistan.

She met with several women who were now living in tents, according to international aid organization IRC, which is facilitating the visit. They described their struggles and told her they needed food, water and medical attention.

Jolie, who has dedicated herself to international humanitarian causes for more than a decade, also visited Pakistan after deadly flooding in 2010.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the surge in diseases has the potential for a “second disaster.”