Cholera among children in Iraq causing concern

[Barrett808]

Source: Los Angeles Times

Cholera among children in Iraq causing concern
By Tina Susman and Zeena Kareem
Originally published June 13, 2007

baghdad // Five cases of cholera have been reported among children in Iraq in the past three weeks, a worrying sign as temperatures rise and the war leaves sewage and sanitation systems a shambles.

All of the cases were among children younger than 12 in the southern city of Najaf, and all were reported by medical officials on alert for signs of the potentially lethal ailment, Claire Hajaj of UNICEF said yesterday.

Cholera, which is spread through bacteria in contaminated water, is easily treatable but can cause rapid dehydration and death if not treated. Cholera pandemics have killed tens of thousands of people worldwide, most recently in South America in the early 1990s.

Although the number of cases in Iraq is small and none has been fatal, the emergence of cholera this early in the year is ominous, Hajaj said. In the past, cholera has not usually been seen until July.

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/iraq/bal-te.cholera13jun13,0,1409980.story?coll=bal-nationworld-headlines

[hobbit709]

1. Another in a long list of war crimes

Destroying the infrastructure that provide clean water and sewers.

[kestrel91316]

2. This will REALLY help us win those hearts and minds, right?

[StarryNite]

3. Those kids are out of the womb

or petri dish so it doesn't matter.

:sarcasm:

[Lisa]

4. just what they need -- a massive outbreak of infectious disease ...

It's as if the country's been pushed back to the 1800s. Even more horrible to think that many Iraqis have memories of a time when the country was advanced and prosperous, and that would have been unheard of.

[burrowowl]

5. Already one in eight Iraki child dies before the age of 5

Our bombing and non-aid to re-build the infrastructure both medical, electrical, and water is killing people.