International Medical Corps is responding to an urgent request by the Iraqi Ministry of Health to combat a deadly cholera outbreak in large parts of Northern Iraq. Today, August 31, IMC, in cooperation with provincial health authorities, distributed over 90,000 units of IV fluids, nearly 100,000 units of antibiotics, and other medical supplies worth more than $100,000. At least 3,000 cases of severe dehydration due to diarrhea and cholera will be treated through this assistance.
Eight people have been killed and 80 more have been infected since the beginning of August. According to news reports quoting local government sources 2,350 people in Sulaimaniya and about 2,000 in Tamim province are suffering from acute watery diarrhea, the main symptom of cholera. Officials fear that the disease might spread within the coming weeks to more areas.
Cholera is not uncommon in Iraq, but according to local officials, this outbreak is three times larger than in previous years. The current crisis is a result of decreasing water quality and bad sanitation, a consequence of the fragile infrastructure.
(Via Technocrat).
