Iraq is now threatened with nationwide spread of cholera because occupying U.S. forces have cut off the supply of chlorine to treat drinking water.
BAGHDAD - Cholera was confirmed Friday in a baby in Basra, the farthest south the outbreak has been detected. Officials expressed concern over a shortage of chlorine needed to prevent the disease from spreading.
A shipment of 100,000 tons of the water purifier has been held up at the Jordanian border over fears the chemical could be used in explosives. Baghdad, which has doubled the amount of chlorine in the drinking water, now has only a week's supply.
Iraq has had problems with cholera for years in the north but the problems are spreading into Baghdad
An outbreak of cholera has spread from northern Iraq to Baghdad, infecting at least 1,500 people, the World Health Organization announced Friday.
A 25-year-old woman this week became the first Baghdad resident found to have cholera, and more cases are likely to be confirmed, a WHO spokeswoman said. About 1,500 cases have been confirmed in Iraq's northern Kurdish region, and more than 24,000 other cases are suspected there. At least 10 people have died of cholera in Iraq.
Cholera is an acute intestinal infection spread through contaminated water or food, making it easy to prevent in countries where clean water is prevalent. A nationwide shortage of chlorine in Iraq has limited access to potable water and put millions at risk of contracting the disease, which can remain dormant in some people while quickly killing others. Officials say the widespread displacement of people within Iraq has contributed to cholera's swift spread over the past several weeks.
and southern Iraq.
World Health Organization spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said in Geneva that Iraq has registered 29,000 cases of acute watery diarrhea, with 1,500 of those confirmed as cholera. All but two confirmed cases are in the north.
The bottle-fed, 7-month-old infant is the only confirmed case in Basra, Iraq's second-largest and southernmost city, WHO reported.
Under the Geneva Conventions an occupying power is responsible for providing safe water.
Taking Care of the Civilian Population
Beyond the maintenance of law and order, Occupying Powers are responsible for the care of the civilian population, including its overall health and hygiene. In particular, the Occupying Power must, to the "fullest extent of the means available to it," ensure the population receives adequate food, water, and medical treatment; if supplies in the occupied territory are inadequate, foodstuffs and medical stores must be brought in. National Red Cross and Crescent societies, like the Iraqi Red Crescent Society, must be permitted to conduct humanitarian activities, a requirement that also applies to other relief agencies, such as those that maintain public utility services, distribute aid, and conduct rescue operations.
There are alternatives to large-scale chlorine treatment, but we haven't provided Iraqis with those alternatives. Point of use treatment with bleach solution is one alternative.
Diarrhea is a leading cause of childhood deaths in the developing world (1), where many people rely on drinking water that is contaminated with pathogens. To address this problem, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization developed the Safe Water System (SWS), which consists of water treatment at the point of use with a locally produced, dilute sodium hypochlorite solution, safe water storage, and behavior change techniques such as social marketing (2). The SWS has been shown to decrease diarrhea risk by 25%–85% (3–7) and has been implemented in >25 countries.
The spread of cholera is completely preventable if water is treated. However, the U.S. is stopping the water from being treated and is not providing alternatives to chlorine treatment. This U.S. decision could lead to an outbreak of cholera in areas that have been cholera free for years. According to the Geneva Conventions this would be a war crime.