2m people shifted from rural to urban areas in two years

The Population in the urban areas increased from 65.28 million in 2011 to 67.55 million in 2012. Talking to APP on Monday, an official of Statistics division, said within two year two million people shifted from rural to urban areas in the country.
The annual population growth in urban areas is expected to increase further in coming years which may cause socio economic problems in future. To a question he said, to cope with the situation the government is not only trying to create a better economic and healthy environment in urban areas but also providing basic facilities in slum areas. He said in Pakistan, cities are growing rapidly as a result of the movement of people from rural areas in search of jobs, opportunities to improve their lives and make a better future for the children.
Swine flu claimed lives 15 times more than reported: study: A recent study has revealed that the 2009 swine flu pandemic claimed some 284,500 lives, about 15 times more than the number reported at the time. The study, published in the London-based journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, said that the number of people, who were killed by the H1N1 influenza virus, might have been even as many as 579,000, Press TV reported.
The World Health Organization (WHO), however, had reported at that time that 18,500 people were killed by the swine flu. The original count only included the death of people, who had access to the health system, and those who had no access to health care went uncounted, and that the virus could not always be detected after the death of a patient. The study carried out by an international group of scientists also showed that the pandemic’s effect varied by region, as 51 percent of deaths took place in Africa and Southeast Asia, accounting for only 38 percent of the population of the world. “This pandemic really did take an enormous toll,” lead author Fatimah Dawood of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
“Unlike most other mortality estimates for the 2009 pandemic, this study includes estimated mortality for countries in southeast Asia and Africa where surveillance data on influenza-associated mortality are limited,” she added.
She also said that the results of the study suggested how best to deploy resources, and that “If a vaccine were to become available, we need to make sure it reached the areas where the death toll is likely to be highest.” The pandemic infection first appeared in Mexico in 2009, and later spread into over 214 countries, causing fears and even panic.
UNICEF regional director holds budget meetings: Regional Director for South Asia of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Karin Hulshof on Monday held meetings to discuss Fund’s next five-year country programme with government and other partners which is an integral part of Delivering as One UN Programme-II for the same period.
She has arrived here on a six-day visit to witness situation of children in Pakistan. Communication Specialist, UNICEF Pakistan Country Office on Monday said the Regional Director has started meetings with government counterparts and key development partners as well as she would see UNICEF field operation in both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh which focuses on the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.
Her visit to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday includes a visit to the Jalozai camp in Nowshera district to witness UNICEF’s ongoing humanitarian support to people displaced from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) due to insecurity. He said Hulshof will also visit rural areas of Sindh as well as seeing urban programmes in Karachi. All demonstrating the essence of UNICEF’s programmes going forward towards 2017. He said her visit to Pakistan provides an excellent opportunity to benchmark work in relation to children and women and to further strengthen the bond with government and partners.
He said the new country programme is part of the `Delivering as One’ and with a joint programming approach that will deliver evidence-based programmes at scale and with a focus on the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. As UNICEF is about to embark on a new five-year country programme, the time is opportune to invest in children for the future of Pakistan, he said and added Hulshof’s vast programmatic experience in South Asian context will help make this strategic investment and forever change the lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.