WHO: Cholera Cases in Iraq Keep Rising
Pastor Dale Morgan
WHO: Cholera Cases in Iraq Keep Rising*
The Associated Press
Friday, September 14, 2007; 7:52 PM
BAGHDAD -- The number of suspected cholera cases in northern Iraq
continues to rise, with 16,000 people now showing symptoms, the World
Health Organization said Friday.
As of Sept. 10, 6,000 have been reported with symptoms such as diarrhea
and vomiting in the province of Sulaimaniyah, another 7,000 in Tamim
province, and 3,000 in Irbil province, the WHO said in a statement.
To date 10 people have died and 844 cases of the disease have been
confirmed, the WHO said.
Earlier in the week, regional authorities reported 11,000 people with
symptoms, 700 confirmed cases and 10 deaths.
Cholera is a gastrointestinal disease that is typically spread by
drinking contaminated water and can cause severe diarrhea that in
extreme cases can lead to fatal dehydration. It broke out in mid-August
and has so far been limited to northern Iraq.
The WHO reported earlier this week that all public water supply systems
in the affected districts have been chlorinated by provincial
authorities in an attempt to stop the disease from spreading further.