Iraq Health Articles

Life in Iraq: An Interview - February 2008

Jeff Leys — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:34:22 -0600

Short Information Teaser

An interview with Walid Waleed about life in Iraq today.

Excerpt

Walid Waleed, interviewd by John Malkin
February 2008

Walid Waleed is 38 years old and was born in the Alkhaalij quarter of Baghdad. He now lives in the country side in a village in south-east Baghdad. He was married in 1997 and now has two boys and three girls; Ows 10, Mohammad 8, Nowras 6, Nibras 4 and less than one year old Ziena. Before the violence he lived as one big family, with about twenty-two people, but now they live in individual temporary houses. Walid studies journalism at Baghdad University and got practical experience as a guide for foreign journalists for many years. He has done interviews for magazines, newspapers and TV and helped Japanese producers make a documentary film about children during the US/UN economic sanctions. He recently produced an autobiographocal documentary about the US invasion and occupation of Iraq.

John Malkin interviewed Walid in January 2008. John is a writer, musician and author of “Sounds of Freedom”, a collection of interviews with musicians concerning spirituality and social change. He is a regular contributor to Good Times Weekly of Santa Cruz, California.

JM: What kind of newspapers/TV are available in Iraq now? How do people get news there?

Body

Walid Waleed, interviewd by John Malkin
February 2008

JM: What kind of newspapers/TV are available in Iraq now? How do people get news there?

Waleed: There are many newspapers and TV stations available in Iraq. Most newspapers belong to political parties of the government as well as the religious movement. Very few people actually buy newspapers because they have radical opinions. For example, Al-Iraqia TV is the official TV station. It is the same as a spokesman of government and is supported by American forces and Iraq government. It’s run by radical shiat people.

The Al Hura TV station is supported by the American administration and their main office is in Washington. Al furat TV is 100% Shiat TV and is part of the high Islamic council, a party that was established in Iran during the Iraq - Iran war, and run by the most radical character, Mr. Abdul Azziz Al Hakeem. He met George W. Bush last week in state and his very powerful Bader forces are responsible for killing thousands of Iraqi people, especially ex-Baath party members.

Alkwather TV shows only stories about the history of Islam. Alsharqia TV is one of the most lovely TV stations in Iraq because they are openly modern and they show the suffering of the Iraqi people. Al Rafidain TV belongs to Muslim scholars and scientists and shows the opinion of Sunna people against the American occupation of Iraq.

JM: I think that some Iraqi TV and radio stations and newspapers are now controlled by the U.S. military. Is that true? Can you tell me about the media there now?

Waleed: Generally any TV station located in Iraq is controlled by American forces, while stations located outside Iraq feel free to broadcast any programming. For instance, the office for Alrafidain TV is located in Egypt and they are free to show there independent opinion. The TV stations that are most controlled by American forces are Al-Iraqia and AlHura.

JM: What was life like in Iraq before the 2003 invasion by the U.S. military?

Waleed: It was a hard life because the immoral economic sanctions destroyed people’s lives. The embargo was imposed for more than 13 years (1991-2003) and caused the death of many people because of the lack of medicine. Added to that was the dictatorial regime of Saddam Hussein. But if we compare that with our current life we can say we lived in paradise then because there was some security and our basic needs for life were available like gasoline, kerosene, cooking gas, electricity, clean water, educational institutions like schools and universities. Also, there was no discrimination between the Sunna and shiat people and our life wasn’t targeted like it is now.

JM: What are your living conditions now? Do you have access to water, electricity, healthcare, medicine, food?

Waleed: Nowadays I’m working as a farmer just to stay alive. I am Sunna and Sunna people cannot get jobs in governmental offices because any person who wants to have a job needs to bring a recommendation letter from the political or religious parties in power and as you know, the Shiat parties dominate the government offices. Also, the only two jobs available are either to be a soldier or policeman. Osne week ago my cousin asked me to be recruited into the Iraq police as an officer but I refused because my age does not fit with this job.

Clean water: It’s one of our big sufferings because Cholera has spread across the country and many people have died. We buy tablets from the pharmacy to kill the bacteria in the water but many poor people have no money to buy this medicine. Recently I heard that American forces are tying to provide Iraqi citizens with water purification machines but we haven’t receive any.

Electricity: We are spend our nights with candles and a kerosene lamp.

Health Care: We have very big problem in my country - the Ministry of Health is controlled by the Alsader, a shiat group, and most Sunna people are afraid to go to the hospitals. When my wife was pregnant I couldn’t bring here to the hospital. I brought her to an old woman who helped her to deliver her baby. She was lucky because she delivered her baby naturally.

One of my cousins was injured by an American bullet while he was waiting to get gasoline for his car. The people at the site of the shooting brought him to Alkindy Hospital and when he arrived there he pretended to be a shiat man and they did an operation to remove the bullet from his pancreas. He saw many sunnah patients being kidnapped from the hospital. After he spent four days there he decide to leave the hospital because the hospital staff started to gather information about his house and his origin. He continued his treatment in our village and at that time we asked our friend who is a doctor to treat him.

Food: It’s not easy to go to the market. In my village we decided to send our wives to the market because it’s a big risk if sunna men go there. But I shopped for fruits, vegetables and some other goods by myself especially during the last month of my wife’s pregnancy.

During economic sanctions, the United Nations took money from Iraq oil sales and bought food for the Iraq people and this food was distributed by Iraqi Ministry of Trade. This operation was called “oil-food agreement.” Fortunately this agreement is valid right now but there are big rumors nowadays that the government trying to cancel this food rationing.

JM: Do your children go to school now? Is it safe to travel to school, to the market, to visit friends?

Waleed: I changed my kids school from New Baghdad to the school in our village. Primary schools have no problems but in the intermediate, high school, and colleges most teachers and doctors were killed by terrorists and now those institutions have a lack of staff. My youngest brother is in high school and they don’t have enough teachers. Also, my brother couldn’t go to the final examination last year because the Ministry of Education decide to have the examination in a shiat majority area. He refused to go and at that time we were angry with him but after two sunna students were kidnapped from inside the examination hall we excused him.

This is little funny story; when the final examination in shiat area began, the Al Mahdy army came to the school and ordered the teachers to solve all the questions for the students and when the examination results were distributed it was incredible! All the student got marks between 95-100% .

Visiting Friends: It’s also one of our biggest problems, especially when a relative has a death ceremony or wedding party. We cannot go to there house if it’s far away. Personally, I lost most of my friends in the sectarian war - more than twenty friends were killed without reason.

JM: How do you get around the city? Buses, taxis, cars?

Waleed: I stopped using my car because of traffic jams due to the main roads and bridges being blocked by American and Iraqi forces. Now I use the bus and wherever the bus stops, I start walking.

JM: The Lancet Journal in England estimated that 500,000 children died as a result of the United States/United Nations economic sanctions against Iraq. What was that time like for you and your family?

Waleed: The economic sanctions started just after Iraqi forces were defeated from Kuwait in 1991 and continued until 2003, when the United States invaded our country by reason of weapon of mass destruction. I was student of Engineering at college when the embargo was imposed and it was so hard live. Let me give you an examples to imagine how hard it was;

We ate rice only once each ten days. We were three brothers working day and night to buy bread and eggplant because at that time only eggplant was available in the market. If you talk to any Iraqi person who lived and suffered from the economic sanctions and ask him, “Do you remember the year of eggplant,” he will remember it very well. Three brothers were working, my other two brothers and three sisters were students and there was my father and mother. The style of eating in our poor society is for us to sit all together and eat from one big pan, as you will see it in attached pictures. I don’t remember even one time that I ate until I was full - the adults decided to eat only very little and we’d pretend we were eating in order to give the children and old people a chance to eat enough. At that time I wasn’t married and was just graduated from engineering college but there were no jobs, so I worked as a driver of a minibus, building donkey worker, ice seller, electrician, and as an interpreter for an NGO twice a year.

I once worked as interpreter for Pakistani journalist in 1999 and he bought bananas from the market and gave me one piece of banana. I kept it in my car and when he asked, “Why you don’t eat it?” I said, “I want to share this piece with my family because we haven’t eaten a banana since four years.” So you can imagine how hard life was. I think we’d need a text book to keep all our suffering. By the way my sister got cancer during that period as well.

JM: Have your family or friends been hurt or killed by US soldiers?

Waleed: On 9th March 2003 my cousin was injured. She was a farmer taking care of her cow and an American soldier shot her because they didn’t have the knowledge to see the fashion of women in an Arabic country. She was wearing an Arabic dishdasha that is black in color and the soldier shoot here because at that time Saddam’s fedaieen fighters wore black. But there is big difference between a woman’s dishdasha and man’s pants.

In June 2007 my cousin was shot after an American patrol was hit by a roadside bomb. He survived.

On October 10, 2007 another cousin was shot and arrested by American forces and now he is in jail. Since that time his family couldn’t meet with him. We got information that he had been shot in his back and the effect of the bullet on his spine might cause him to be paralyzed. He is 34 years old. The reason he was walking to visit his friend was that he’d been invited to have dinner at his friend’s house during Ramadan month after sunset and there was an American unit waiting to ambush the Iraqi resistance. They failed in this ambush.

On November 4 people from my village were shot by soldiers in an American helicopter by mistake and this is the only accident that has been compensated. Many relatives have been killed by American forces, but as I told you I would need to write a long list of there names.

Another accident I need to mention is my oldest brother. He was arrested by Iraqi forces while he was working as a taxi driver. The Iraqi forces wanted to kill him but fortunately their prison has been visited by American forces. He was released because an American officer took pictures of the prisoners and did investigations with the prisoners directly, so not all doing of American forces are negative.

JM: What is the most difficult thing now about living in Iraq?

Waleed: Security, electricity, fuel (gasoline, kerosene, cooking gas), jobs, education, medical care, and to get back our houses which had been looted by Almahdy army.

JM: What has changed the most for you since the US invasion in 2003?

Waleed: I lost my freedom and security, my brother was killed, my father in law was killed, we lost our houses in town and the prices for all materials has jumped. For example, before the war the price of 1 liter of gasoline was 20 Iraqi dinar. 1 cylinder of cooking gas was 250 ID. At that time 1US$ = 3000 ID. Today a liter of gasoline is 500 ID and a cylinder of cooking gas is 25000 ID and it’s not easy to get it. The current exchange rate is 1$=1210ID.

JM: Officially, the 1991 United States war on Iraq was finished in 45 days. But the United States continued bombing after that – Does it feel like there has been one long war going on there since 1991? (Perhaps even before that as well, with the war with Iran ?)

Waleed: During the Iraq –Iran war we didn’t feel a direct effect from America. Maybe they were selling weapons to both sides. As an Iraqi person I didn’t blame the United States when they attacked Iraq in 1991 because Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and he gave them a reason to attack Iraq. But when the immoral economic sanctions were imposed we hated America so much because usually in economic sanctions it is only poor people who will be effect, while the rich people can arrange there lives.

JM: You have written that many people in Iraq do not believe that there are peaceful people in the United States because they have observed the United States invade other countries. And now the US has invaded Iraq. Tell me more about this.

Waleed: When we were young we read about the history of United States and how they invaded Vietnam, Cuba and Nicaragua. How they killed the American Indian, dropped an atomic bomb on Japan, and gave support to Israel to kick out the Palestinian people. Many Palestinian people came to Iraq as refugees at that time. And recently the US has invaded Somalia, Afghanistan, etc… So, we have been saturated by this image. Added to that is that there are no direct relationships between US and Iraqi individuals and very few Iraqi people can believe that there are good people in America.

JM: Why do you think the US military is in Iraq now?

Waleed: The American forces are tools of the American administration and most of them joined for a job, for money. Sometimes I talk to American soldiers and I have found many of them have a good personality. Many of them commit suicide because they have been shocked when they saw the fact.

JM: What do you think is the goal of President George Bush and the US military? Some people here think Iraq was invaded and is occupied to get oil or have more control in the Middle East – what do you think?

Waleed: Yes it’s right because America can not live without war. War means that all the military factories can work, otherwise they would close it down. The main goal is oil and more control in the Middle East, and looking for another war. I think the American administration has never cared about their soldiers and never cared about the fate of American people.

JM: After the World Trade Center in New York was attacked on September 11, 2001, the United States government said that Saddam Hussein had helped with the attack. Many people here still believe this. What do you think?

Waleed: I think the attack of the World Trade Center has been fabricated to have a reason to start war and to convince the American people that they are targeted. If the American people still believe that Saddam Hussein supported the attackers I am really envious of Mr. George W. Bush about these stupid people because they can not see where their future is going. I am sorry - maybe my language is poor in how I describe the American people about this point.

JM: The media here says that there is now a lot of fighting between different religious groups in Iraq ; Shias, Sunnis, Kurds. Is this true?

Waleed: Yes it’s true. It’s still happening but is less. The reason is that America has many enemies in the region so that all of Iraq’s neighboring countries don’t want stability in Iraq, so this fighting has been ignited by Iran, Syria, and Israel as well.

JM: How do you think the fighting in Iraq will end? What is the prospect for peace and safety in Iraq?

Waleed: The situation is now getting very complicated and the American forces are not serious to finish this fighting, because if they were serious they would not have lost four years without doing any reconstruction projects. The main reason behind the terrorism here is the jobless problem because for four years people couldn’t find jobs and the young people have been used by extremists, with thousands of dollars paid to militias. The solution for Iraq will come after America solves its problems with Iran, Syria, and Al Qaeda. And prepare jobs for millions of jobless people.

JM: Have you had encounters with United States soldiers? What kind of violence have you experienced? Have you encountered any US weapons like cluster bombs or depleted uranium?

Waleed: Usually I am trying to avoid American soldiers because talking English language its enough reason to be targeted by terrorist, so that just in urgent cases I am talking with them. .

About cluster bomb I sow it many times but I didn’t get any accident by it.

Depleted Uranium my sister got cancer due the first gulf war, and now my village locate near by the most polluted area by Uranium, we are living around only 2 KM away from the ex-atomic-nuclear energy research center, this center has been looted by people after American invasion and many people took polluted tank to use it for water (I think its very famous accident, it was called by yellow cake ) ,right now no incident show’s and I hope we will be safe

JM: Do you know people who have been taken to Abu Ghraib or other prisons?

Waleed: Yes. Many relatives of mine have been jailed in Abu Ghraib, Puka and Baghdad airport jails.

JM: How do you deal with the anxiety and sadness of living in a violent situation?

Waleed: Frankly talking, I am suffering too much from the current situation. I have seen many death cases and many decaying, dead bodies. I am smoking and sometimes when I feel depressed I have been angry and that’s why I insisted too much that an internet line be installed in my village to kill my time.

JM: What are some enjoyable things that you do you have with your family or friends?

Waleed: When I can help poor people I feel too much comfort and sometimes I play with my kids.

JM: Some people in the United States have been told by the media that the Islamic religion is violent and that the US military is protecting Americans against terrorism. What is Islam to you? Do you do prayer?

Waleed: I am pray five times a day and I think the Islamic religion is good religion. The extremist Muslims ate the people responsible for these bad ideas of Islam.

JM: What do you think about the suicide bombings that have become common in Baghdad?

Waleed: The people who suicide themselves have there own reasons - either they lost their family or kids. I think the same reason that pushes American soldiers to commit suicide is pushing those people to bomb themselves on American forces.

Last year I was in Japan and I was surprised when I saw the high number of people who commit suicide. They live in very good conditions compared with Iraqi people.

JM: George W. Bush has called himself a “compassionate Christian.” What do you think?

Waleed: I think he is the enemy of Christianity because we know the Christian religion is a very peaceful religion and the prophet Jesus was very peaceful.

JM: We are told that the violence in Iraq is a “War on Terrorism.” Does that make sense to you?

Waleed: Who brought terrorism to Iraq? Who let the Iraqi borders open for many years? Al Qaeda was established by America during the Soviet Union war and now they fight against America. George W. Bush has said many times that “we want to fight the terrorists outside of America.” According to this, Iraqi people are victims to keep American people safe.

JM: Private security companies, like Blackwater, have been hired by the US government to be soldiers in Iraq . News reports are saying that Blackwater contractors killed 17 Iraqi civilians in September in Baghdad . Have you heard anything about these private soldiers?

Waleed: Yes we see them almost every day. They drive on the streets in a very brutal way, killing any driver approaching their vehicles. Many people are killed by American forces and only a few cases are announced - this incident is well known because its happened downtown, but many killings happen in the countryside where no media can reach.

JM: Lately there are news reports that things have gotten safer in Iraq and that refugees have been returning to cities like Baghdad. Is this true from what you can see?

Waleed: Yes, some parts of Baghdad are getting better, especially in Sunna areas because there is an agreement between the American forces and the resistance group, except Alqaeda, and as result of this agreement new forces - named waken troops - have been established. Waken troops are fighting against Alqaeda and keeping the security of their region. American forces are paying monthly salaries to them and new projects have been started to clean up the cities and establish electric generators.

Iraq Healthcare and Humanitarian Reports

Jeff Leys — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 15:26:31 -0500

Short Information Teaser

Key reports on the health care and humanitarian crisis in Iraq

Excerpt

June 2007

Compiled by Ben Meyer
Download PDF

Following are links to key reports on the health care and humanitarian crisis that is harming the people of Iraq.

Body

June 2007

Compiled by Ben Meyer
Download PDF

Following are links to key reports on the health care and humanitarian crisis that is harming the people of Iraq.

IRIN: Iraq: Educational standards plummet (16 May 2007)

An IRIN report on the educational situation in Iraq. It quotes a staff member at Baghdad University who states, “Violence and lack of resources have undermined the education sector in Iraq. No student will graduate this year with sufficient competence to perform his or her job, and pupils will end the year with less than 60 percent of the knowledge that was supposed to have been imparted to them.” Additionally, he states, “Medics, pharmacists, biologists and dentists are desperately seeking training in hospitals because what they have learnt so far does not give them enough confidence to treat patients.”

IRIN: Iraq: Child mortality soars because of violence, poor health care (15 May 2007

An IRIN report summarizing the findings of Save the Children report on the humanitarian situation in Iraq. The report states that, “50 Iraqi children died per 1,000 live births in 1990. Today, the rate is 125 per 1,000 births, more than double.” Additionally, “122,000 Iraqi children died in 2005 before reaching their fifth birthday. More than half of these deaths were among newborn babies in the first month of life.” The report states also that 30% of child deaths are caused by pneumonia and diarrhea, making them among the top killers of children in Iraq. Additionally, “[o]nly 35 percent of Iraqi children are fully immunized, and more than one-fifth are severely or moderately stunted.” The article also states that Save the Children report notes that children faced a “grave humanitarian crisis” even before the 2003 invasion due to international sanctions and repression. It also notes that, “[s]ince 2003, electricity shortages, insufficient clean water, deteriorating health services and soaring inflation have worsened already difficult living conditions.”

UN Assistance Mission in Iraq: Humanitarian Briefing on the Crisis in Iraq (2 May 2007)

An overview of the humanitarian situation in Iraq. The report details the status of the protection of civilians by security forces; poverty; food distribution; availability of shelter; availability and quality of health care; the situation of refugees and internally displaced persons; access to basic services; and the situation of children. Also included in the report is a table (page 3) with statistics regarding the number of refugees; internally displaced persons; number of Iraqis living below the poverty line; unemployment and inflation rates; civilian casualties; and percentage of Iraqi children under five suffering from malnutrition.

World Health Organization: Violence threatens health in Iraq (17 April 2007)

A World Health Organization overview of the current health situation in Iraq. The report states that on average 100 people killed per day in 2006 due to gunshot wounds, and many are more injured due to bullet wounds, shrapnel, and burns. Approximately 70% of critically injured patients die in emergency rooms and intensive care units due to shortage of drugs, equipment, and competent staff. The daily violence and difficult living and working conditions are causing hundreds of qualified and experienced health staff to leave the country. The internally displaced population puts an additional strain on the healthcare system. There is a shortage of basic services for the Iraqi population: 80% of people lack effective sanitation, 70% lack access to regular clean water, and only 60% have access to the public food distribution system. Diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections, worsened by increased levels of malnutrition, account for about two thirds of deaths among children under five. The chronic child malnutrition rate is estimated at 21%, according to the findings of the 2006 UNICEF Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS3).

International Society of the Red Cross and Red Crescent: Civilians Without Protection: The ever worsening humanitarian crisis in Iraq (11 April 2007)

A Red Cross and Red Crescent assessment of the health, infrastructure, economic, and security situation in Iraq. The report notes that, “[a]ccording to the Iraqi Ministry of Health, more than half of the doctors have left the country.” Also that the massive influx of casualties has caused great strain on the healthcare system. Also, road-blocks and checkpoints prevent doctors and patients from reaching health-care centers on time, and poor security conditions are preventing staff at hospitals from providing medical services. There have been, “frequent reports of armed men storming hospitals and forcing doctors to give their companions priority treatment at the expense of others in more urgent need.” Additionally, security problems obstruct the distribution of medical supplies in many parts of Iraq and, “many sick and injured people do not go to the hospital because it is too dangerous.” The report also states that drinking water supplies remain qualitatively and quantitatively insufficient, despite limited improvements in southern Iraq. The poor repair of sewage and water-supply networks leads to water contamination and discharge of sewage into rivers, which are a main source of drinking water. Electricity and fuel shortages also impact the availability of clean water and sewage treatment.

Additionally, ICRC reports that there are food shortages in several areas, which has contributed to increased levels of malnutrition over the past year. Many families rely on government food distributions to cover their immediate needs due to unemployment and poverty. The Iraqi government reports that one third of the population lives in poverty and over five percent live in extreme poverty.

Finally, the report states that Iraq’s vital infrastructure is in a state of disrepair due to lack of maintenance due to security issues. Also, “power shortages are growing worse throughout the country,” leading to a situation where, “water treatment facilities, primary health-care centers, and hospitals rely mainly on back-up generators, which often break down owing to excess usage or fall victim to the chronic fuel shortages.”

UNICEF April 2007 Report on the Situation of Children in Iraq

A UNICEF report on the situation of children and civilians in Iraq. The report estimates that about 70% of the 720,000 Iraqis displaced since February 2006 are women and children. The study found that approximately 45% of internally displaced persons are living without private accommodations. Additionally, population movement caused by displacement and other causes has left social services unbalanced. The report states, “some classrooms and hospitals over-crowded while others are missing students, patients and services providers.” Additionally, the report notes that a recent UNICEF survey found that approximately 800,000 children (63% are girls) were out of school during 2005 through 2006 even before displacement issues that have arisen post-February 2006. The reports states that violence in the worst affected areas prevents children from going to school or even playing with their friend without fear. Also, a survey by the World Health Organization and the Government of Iraq found that 30% of Iraqi children are suffering from psychological problems.

Additionally, the study finds that immunization rates are also declining due to lack of access to primary health care facilities. The report states, “About half of Iraq’s districts (60 out of 116) are reporting immunization coverage of less then 80 per cent.” As of April 2007, the number of children with no immunity to measles has reached 1 million. UNICEF also expresses concern about the rising diarrhea rates in children, stating this could lead to an outbreak over the summer.

International Society of the Red Cross and Red Crescent : Final Report: Emergency Appeal November 2005 – January 2007 (issued April 2007)

A study of the Red Cross and Red Crescent of humanitarian conditions in Iraq. The report states that approximately 2,000 medical personal have been killed, 12,000 have fled, and 250 have been kidnapped since 2003. The study also references a household survey conducted in 2004 and 2006 by the World Food Programme, which states that 12.4 million Iraqis are at high risk for food insecurity. Additionally, extreme poverty, which is less than $30 per month, has increased from 2.6 million people to 4.1 million people. Furthermore, “the highly vulnerable (between 30 and 54 US dollar/month) increased from 15% (3.6 million people) to 31.8% (8.3million people).” The Iraqi Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs reports that the average unemployment rate was 70% between August 2005 to August 2006. The WFP household survey also found that there one fifth of Iraqi children are underweight, one third are chronically malnourished.

Medicines Sans Frontiers/Doctors Without Borders in Iraq Operational Update (September 2006)

MSF report focusing on the situation of medical services in Iraq. MSF left Iraq in 2004 due to deteriorating security conditions. It currently runs a center for reconstructive and other surgery in Amman, Jordan. The report states that lack of doctors, specialists and equipment, security concerns, and cost, it is difficult to receive specialized surgery in Iraq. The report states, “when it comes to reconstructive surgery, congenital malformations, microsurgery, or neurosurgery, it’s almost impossible right now to get operated on in Iraq.” Furthermore, it states that although public hospitals offer free medical care, they can no longer provide specialized surgery, such surgeries are somewhat available from private hospitals, but are very expensive.

World Health Organization Bi-Weekly Bulletin (May 14 – May 31, 2006)

The bulletin reports the status of healthcare in Iraq from May 14 – May 31, including new health initiatives carried out by the WHO and Iraqi Ministry of Health. Among the notable issues that are covered by the report are the status of communicable and other diseases. In this category, the report notes that as of the date of the report, there have been no reported outbreaks of cholera or other communicable diseases, and there have been only two cases of Avian Influenza have been reported in the country. The report further states, “No cases of Malaria have been reported in Iraq during the first four months of 2006 whereas five cases were reported during the first four months of 2005.” Also, there were “twenty-four Acute Flaccid Paralysis cases were reported in Iraq, bringing the total number of AFP cases to 197 for 2006.” Finally, during this reporting period, 14 out of 37 suspected measles cases were confirmed as measles. Also, twelve of these confirmed measles cases were reported from Wasit governorate. The report also contains a chart showing in malaria cases in Iraq from January 2005 – April 2006 on page 3; as well as a chart dealing with the prevalence of mental disorders among various segments of the population on page 4.

USEFUL WEBSITES

ReliefWeb: Iraq Emergency

Relief Web provides press releases, reports, documents, appeals, articles, statements, maps, and other data regarding the humanitarian situation in Iraq. Managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, contains reports from UN Agencies and other NGOs working in Iraq.

WHO Iraq Office

World Health Organization Office in Iraq Homepage. Contains press releases, links to sites that offer reports and updates on the health situation in Iraq.

WHO Iraq Information Center

The World Health Organization Information Center for Iraq provides bi-weekly bulletins and reports on the health situation in Iraq. The most recently posted bulletin is from May 2006.

WHO Iraq Situation Reports

World Health Organization reports, statements, and press releases regarding the humanitarian and health situation in Iraq.

UNAMI

United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq Homepage. Provides links to documents and reports on the humanitarian situation in Iraq.

IRIN Middle East

IRIN Middle East website. Contains articles and updates on the humanitarian situation in Iraq.

Map of Children Under 5 Years Old Suffering from Malnutrition

A map created by UNOSAT in collaboration with UNICEF showing the areas of Iraq where children are affected by malnutrition. The map is color-coded to show severity of the malnutrition crisis in particular areas of Iraq.

Threats, violence in Baghdad threaten new wave of displaced

voices — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 12:56:50 -0500

Short Information Teaser

Sunni families remaining in Shia neighbourhoods of Baghdad are being forced to flee their homes

Excerpt

June 18, 2007

BAGHDAD, 18 June 2007 (IRIN) - Sunni families remaining in Shia neighbourhoods of Baghdad are being forced to flee their homes: A 72-hour deadline announced by militants for them to leave these areas or face death expires on 18 June.

The ultimatum has put many Iraqi families in a desperate situation and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are worried as displacement camps could not cope with all the internally displaced people (IDPs) that this ultimatum might trigger.

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Following threats to leave Shia areas of Baghdad, newly displaced families are having difficulty finding places to stay, and often have to sleep rough

June 18, 2007

“Kadhimiya and Shu’ala districts are the most affected. Dozens of Sunnis have been assassinated in their homes since the second attack on Samara mosque on 13 June. Neighbours are invading homes and killing people without remorse,” said Abdallah Seif Salman, president of the Iraq Aid Association (IAA).

“Many families are being kidnapped as soon as they leave the area, or the men are being killed by militias. Something should be done to protect these families urgently,” Salman added.

Unofficial estimates are that around 400 families have become displaced since the recent Samara bombing.

The Ministry of Displacement and Migration said the figure could be higher because sectarian violence had escalated in the past few days, and there was serious concern for these families.

“There are two camps on the outskirts of the capital where threats were made two days ago. Families were told to leave or militants would kill everyone, and this caused panic,” said a Ministry of Displacement and Migration media officer who preferred to remain anonymous for security reasons.

“We urge all parties to prevent the death of innocent civilians and their displacement, as NGOs and our Ministry cannot cope any more,” the officer added.

Nowhere to go

The lack of medical care, food and water has meant many provinces are refusing to welcome any more people fleeing their homes. The newly displaced are having difficulty finding a place to stay, and have to sleep rough, aid workers said.

“In the past three days you could see families sleeping rough or even on farms on the outskirts of the capital, without protection or supplies. Yesterday a family of five were killed as they fled the Shu’ala District,” said Salman.

“NGOs are concerned about how to bring supplies into the displacement camps as violence is increasing and we are in a dangerous situation,” he said.

“Some families are able to get assistance from relatives in various parts of the country but this displacement has reached such a level now that many governorates are closing their doors to the displaced. They might have to flee to the border to keep their families alive, and if that happens, there will be a humanitarian disaster in Iraq,” the Ministry of Displacement and Migration media officer said.

Deaths up in past four days

Local morgue officials said the number of deaths reported in the last four days had nearly doubled, with many bearing signs of torture.

In response to Shia militia attacks after the second Samara bombing, Sunni insurgents have increased their attacks on Shia districts, attacking houses and killing anyone inside, including children and women, observers said.

“We call on both sides for calm and for their leaders to stop the sectarian killings and enforced displacements. This will just postpone peace in Iraq and bring more suffering,” said Lt-Col Ali Hazim, senior officer at the Ministry of Interior.

On 16 June, the UN-affiliated International Organization for Migration (IOM) appealed for US$85 million to assist hundreds of thousands of IDPs in Iraq. The Geneva-based organization has warned that large numbers of people will be forced to flee Iraq, unless the international community provides the funds to care for them.

Rupert Cornwell: Nothing the Americans do stops the slide into despair

voices — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 19:53:23 -0600

Excerpt

Published: 22 September 2006
Independent

They have organised elections, and pushed through a new democratically-ratified constitution that has given birth to a national government with a true mandate. They have sent more of their own troops, and trained the locals. They have sacrificed some 2,700 of their servicemen and over $300bn (£1.6bn) of their taxpayers’ money. But nothing the Americans can do has stopped post-Saddam Iraq’s long slide into chaos and despair.

President Bush and his top aides still insist civil war has not broken out. That, however, is a matter of semantics after the latest UN report that almost 6,600 people died in sectarian violence in the last two months for which statistics are available - an “unprecedented” 3,590 in July, followed by 3009 in August.

Body

Published: 22 September 2006
Independent

That is 108 killings every day. As Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General, put it this week during the final General Assembly of his tenure: “If current patterns of alienation and violence persist much longer, there is a grave danger that the Iraqi state will break down, possibly in the midst of full-scale civil war.”

That was not what the Bush administration intended when Nuri al-Maliki became prime minister four months ago. The security situation has only worsened since and basic services have become ever more intermittent. Even the most upbeat US commanders admit, if Baghdad cannot be saved, Iraq is lost.

That fate, according to a leaked recent report by the Marines’ top intelligence officer in Iraq, has befallen Anbar province, home of the “Sunni Triangle” - which accounts for nearly a third of the country.

The report, which has not been seriously disputed by the Pentagon, concludes that nothing US forces at their present levels can do in Anbar will bring it under control. The writ of the central government does not run there. In Baghdad too, nothing seems to work. Earlier this summer Mr Malaki announced a massive security blitz in the capital by US and Iraqi troops.

The upshot has been only greater violence in a city where private militias rule entire neighbourhoods. Now there is talk of a fortified cordon around the city - but scant prospect that this initiative will succeed.

Not surprisingly, muttering here against Mr Maliki grows more audible by the day. President Bush was being “driven crazy” by Mr Maliki’s indecisiveness, The New York Times reported on Wednesday, quoting a former senior US official. The pictures of a smiling Mr Maliki on his recent visit to Iran, apparently getting on famously with Washington’s current nemesis, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, cannot have improved President Bush’s humour.

The killings spare no one. Pentagon figures show that attacks between May and August this year were running at 792 a week, up 24 per cent from the previous quarter. Sectarian violence is increasing, but so too are attacks on US troops.

The hope was to reduce US forces in Iraq in this US election year. Instead they have been increased, from 127,000 in January to 144,000 now. Each day, two or three more American soldiers die. Since the March 2003 invasion over 2,690 have been lost.

Three decades ago, a decorated young veteran who would become the Democratic presidential candidate in 2004 famously asked: “How do you ask a man to become the last man to die for a mistake?” The words of John Kerry to a Congressional Committee that was probing the Vietnam war now apply to Iraq - to American soldiers and Iraqi civilians alike.

Easily Dispensable: Iraq's Children

voices — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 17:50:52 -0600

Excerpt

By Dahr Jamail
Monday 22 May 2006

Cherishing children is the mark of a civilized society. — Joan Ganz Cooney

If, as I would like to believe, the above quote suggests all children and not merely those born in Western democracies, I am no longer certain that we live in a civilized society.

That women and children suffer the most during times of war is not a new phenomenon. It is a reality as old as war itself. What Rumsfeld, Rice and other war criminals of the Cheney administration prefer to call “collateral damage” translates in English as the inexcusable murder of and other irreparable harm done to women, children and the elderly during any military offensive.

Body

By Dahr Jamail
Monday 22 May 2006

Cherishing children is the mark of a civilized society. — Joan Ganz Cooney

If, as I would like to believe, the above quote suggests all children and not merely those born in Western democracies, I am no longer certain that we live in a civilized society.

US foreign policy in the Middle East manifests itself most starkly in its impact on the children of Iraq. It is they who continue to pay with their lives and futures for the brutal follies of our administration. Starvation under sanctions, and death and suffering during war and occupation are their lot. Since the beginning of the occupation, Iraqi children have been affected worst by the violence generated by the occupying forces and the freedom fighters.

While I had witnessed several instances of this from the time of my first trip to Iraq in November 2003, I was shaken by a close encounter with it, a year later, in November 2004.

In a major Baghdad hospital, 12-year-old Fatima Harouz lay in her bed, dazed, amidst a crowded hospital room. She limply waved her bruised arm at the flies that buzzed over the bed. Her shins, shattered by bullets when American soldiers fired through the front door of her house, were both covered in casts. Small plastic drainage bags filled with red fluid sat upon her abdomen, where she had taken shrapnel from another bullet.

She was from Latifiya, a city just south of Baghdad. Three days before I saw her, soldiers had attacked her home. Her mother, standing with us in the hospital, said, “They attacked our home and there weren’t even any resistance fighters in our area.” Her brother had been shot and killed, his wife wounded, and their home ransacked by soldiers. “Before they left, they killed all of our chickens,” added Fatima’s mother, her eyes a mixture of fear, shock and rage. A doctor who was with us as Fatima’s mother narrated the story looked at me and sternly asked, “This is the freedom ? in their Disney Land are there kids just like this?”

The doctors’ anger was mild if we consider the magnitude of suffering that has been inflicted upon the children of Iraq as a direct result of first the US-backed sanctions and then the failed US occupation.

In a report released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on May 2nd of this year, one out of three Iraqi children is malnourished and underweight.

The report states that 25% of Iraqi children between the ages of six months and five years old suffer from either acute or chronic malnutrition. In addition, the Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) press release on the matter added, “A 2004 Living Conditions Survey indicated a decrease in mortality rates among children under five years old since 1999. However, the results of a September 2005 Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis - commissioned by Iraq’s Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology, the World Food Program and UNICEF - showed worsening conditions since the April 2003 US-led invasion of the country.”

Also this month, on May 15th, a news story about the same UN-backed government survey highlighted that “people are struggling to cope three years after US-forces overthrew Saddam Hussein.” The report added that “Children are … major victims of food insecurity,” and described the situation as “alarming.” The story continued, “A total of four million Iraqis, roughly 15 percent of the population, were in dire need of humanitarian aid including food, up from 11 percent in a 2003 report, the survey of more than 20,000 Iraqi households found.? Decades of conflict and economic sanctions have had serious effects on Iraqis. Their consequences have been rising unemployment, illiteracy and, for some families, the loss of wage earners.”

But the hearts of small children are delicate organs. A cruel beginning in this world can twist them into curious shapes. — Carson McCullers

Iraq’s ministries of Health and Planning carried out the survey with support from the UN World Food Program and UNICEF. A spokesman for UNICEF’s Iraq Support Center in Amman, Jordan, David Singh, told Reuters that the number of acutely malnourished children in Iraq had more than doubled, from 4% during the last year of Saddam’s rule to at least 9% in 2005. He also said, “Until there is a period of relative stability in Iraq we are going to continue to face these kinds of problems.” UNICEF’s special representative for Iraq, Roger Wright, commenting on the dire effects of the situation, said, “This can irreversibly hamper the young child’s optimal mental/cognitive development, not just their physical development.”

This past March, an article titled “Garbage Dump Second Home for Iraqi Children” addressed the appalling situation in the northern, Kurdish-controlled Iraqi city of Sulaimaniyah where young children assist their families in searching the city garbage dumps. It said that children as young as seven often accompany their parents to the dumps before school, in order to look for reusable items such as shoes, clothing and electrical equipment which is then resold in order to augment the family income.

This disturbing news is not really news in Baghdad. Back in December 2004 I saw children living with their families in the main dump of the capital city.

Poverty in Iraq has plummeted acutely during the invasion and occupation. Those who were already surviving on the margins due to years of deprivation have sunk further, and the children of such families have recourse to no nutrition, no health care, no education, no present and no future. Those from less unfortunate backgrounds are now suffering because the family wage earner has been killed, detained, or lost employment. Or the source of the family’s income, a shop, factory or farm have been destroyed, or simply because it is impossible to feed a family under the existing economic conditions of high costs and low to nil income in Iraq.

As execrable as the current situation is for Iraqi children, most of the world media, appallingly, does not see it as a story to be covered. Even back in November 2004, surveys conducted by the UN, aid agencies and the interim Iraqi government showed that acute malnutrition among young children had nearly doubled since the US-led invasion took place in the spring of 2004.

A Washington Post story, “Children Pay Cost of Iraq’s Chaos,” read, “After the rate of acute malnutrition among children younger than 5 steadily declined to 4 percent two years ago, it shot up to 7.7 percent this year, according to a study conducted by Iraq’s Health Ministry in cooperation with Norway’s Institute for Applied International Studies and the U.N. Development Program. The new figure translates to roughly 400,000 Iraqi children suffering from “wasting,” a condition characterized by chronic diarrhea and dangerous deficiencies of protein.”

Not only is the US occupation starving Iraq’s children, but occupation forces regularly detain them as well. It is common knowledge in Iraq that there have been child prisoners in the most odious prisons, such as Abu Ghraib, since early on in the occupation. While most, if not all, corporate media outlets in the US have been loath to visit the subject, the Sunday Herald in Scotland reported back in August 2004 that “coalition forces are holding more than 100 children in jails such as Abu Ghraib. Witnesses claim that the detainees - some as young as 10 - are also being subjected to rape and torture.”

The story read, “It was early last October that Kasim Mehaddi Hilas says he witnessed the rape of a boy prisoner aged about 15 in the notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. ‘The kid was hurting very bad and they covered all the doors with sheets,’ he said in a statement given to investigators probing prisoner abuse in Abu Ghraib. ‘Then, when I heard the screaming I climbed the door - and I saw [the soldier’s name is deleted] who was wearing a military uniform.” Hilas, who was himself threatened with being sexually assaulted in Abu Ghraib, then described in horrific detail how the soldier raped ‘the little kid.’”

The newspaper’s investigation at that time concluded that there were as many as 107 children being held by occupation forces, although their names were not known, nor their location or the length of their detention.

In June 2004 an internal UNICEF report, which was not made public, noted widespread arrest and detention of Iraqi children by US and UK forces. A section of the report titled “Children in Conflict with the Law or with Coalition Forces,” stated, “In July and August 2003, several meetings were conducted with CPA (Coalition Provisional Authority) - and Ministry of Justice to address issues related to juvenile justice and the situation of children detained by the coalition forces - UNICEF is working through a variety of channels to try and learn more about conditions for children who are imprisoned or detained, and to ensure that their rights are respected.”

Another section of the report added, “Information on the number, age, gender and conditions of incarceration is limited. In Basra and Karbala children arrested for alleged activities targeting the occupying forces are reported to be routinely transferred to an internee facility in Um Qasr. The categorization of these children as ‘internees’ is worrying since it implies indefinite holding without contact with family, expectation of trial or due process.” The report went on to add, “A detention centre for children was established in Baghdad, where according to ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) a significant number of children were detained. UNICEF was informed that the coalition forces were planning to transfer all children in adult facilities to this ‘specialized’ child detention centre. In July 2003, UNICEF requested a visit to the centre but access was denied. Poor security in the area of the detention centre has prevented visits by independent observers like the ICRC since last December [2003].”

A section of the report which I found very pertinent, as I’d already witnessed this occurring in Iraq, stated, “The perceived unjust detention of Iraqi males, including youths, for suspected activities against the occupying forces has become one of the leading causes for the mounting frustration among Iraqi youth and the potential for radicalization of this population group.”

On December 17, 2003, at the al-Shahid Adnan Kherala secondary school in Baghdad, I witnessed US forces detain 16 children who had held a mock, non-violent, pro-Saddam Hussein the previous day. While forces from the First Armored Division sealed the school with two large tanks, helicopters, several Bradley fighting vehicles and at least 10 Humvees, soldiers loaded the children into a covered truck and drove them to their base. Meanwhile, the rest of the students remained locked inside the school until the US military began to exit the area.

Shortly thereafter the doors were unlocked, releasing the frightened students who flocked out the doors. The youngest were 12 years old, and none of the students were older than 18. They ran out, many in tears, while others were enraged as they kicked and shook the front gate. My interpreter and I were surrounded by frenzied students who yelled, “This is the democracy? This is the freedom? You see what the Americans are doing to us here?”

Another student cried out to us, “They took several of my friends! Why are they taking them to prison? For throwing rocks?” A few blocks away we spoke with a smaller group of students who had run from the school (in panic). One student who was crying yelled to me, “Why are they doing this to us? We are only kids!”

The tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles that were guarding the perimeter of the school began to rumble down the street beside us, on their passage out. Several young boys with tears streaming down their faces picked up stones and hurled them at the tanks as they drove by. Imagine my horror when I saw the US soldiers on top of the Bradleys begin firing their M-16’s above our heads as we ducked inside a taxi. A soldier on another Bradley, behind the first, passed and fired randomly above our heads as well. Kids and pedestrians ran for cover into the shops and wherever possible.

I remember a little boy, not more than 13 years old, holding a stone and standing at the edge of the street glaring at the Bradleys as they rumbled past. Another soldier riding atop another passing Bradley pulled out his pistol and aimed it at the boy’s head and kept him in his sights until the vehicle rolled out of sight.

One of the students hiding behind our taxi screamed to me, “Who are the terrorists here now? You have seen this yourself! We are school kids!”

The very next month, in January 2004, I was in an area on the outskirts of Baghdad that had been pulverized by “Operation Iron Grip.” I spoke with a man at his small farm house. His three year old boy, Halaf Ziad Halaf, walked up to me and with a worried look on his face said, “I have seen the Americans here with their tanks. They want to attack us.”

His uncle, who had joined us for tea, leaned over to me and said, “The Americans are creating the terrorists here by hurting people and causing their relatives to fight against them. Even this little boy will grow up hating the Americans because of their policy here.”

The slaughter, starvation, detention, torture and sexual assault of Iraq’s children at the hands of US soldiers or by proxy via US foreign policy, is not a recent phenomenon. It is true that the present US administration has been brazen and blatant in its crimes in Iraq, but those willing to bear witness must not forget that Bill Clinton and his minions played an equally, if not even more devastating role in the assault on the children of Iraq.

On May 12, 1996, Clinton’s Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was asked by Lesley Stahl on “60 Minutes” about the effects of US sanctions against Iraq, “We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that’s more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?”

In a response which has now become notorious, Albright replied, “I think this is a very hard choice, but the price - we think the price is worth it.”

We are guilty of many errors and many faults but our worst crime is abandoning the children, neglecting the fountain of life. Many of the things we need can wait. The child cannot. Right now is the time his bones are being formed, his blood is being made, and his senses are being developed. To him we cannot answer “Tomorrow.” His name is “Today.” — Gabriela Mistral

To all Americans who, despite voluminous evidence to the contrary, continue to believe that they are supporting a war for democracy in Iraq, I would like to say, the way Iraq is headed it will have little use for democracy and freedom. We must find ways to stop the immoral, soulless, repugnant occupation if we want the children of Iraq to see any future at all.

Malnutrition among Iraqi children alarming--survey

voices — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 17:48:42 -0600

Excerpt

15 May 2006

By Fredrik Dahl

BAGHDAD, May 15 ( Reuters ) - Malnutrition among Iraqi children has reached alarming levels, according to a U.N.-backed government survey showing people are struggling to cope three years after U.S.-forces overthrew Saddam Hussein.

Nine percent — almost one in 10 — of children aged between six months and five years, suffered acute malnourishment, said the report on food security and vulnerability in Iraq.

“Children are…major victims of food insecurity,” it said, describing the situation as “alarming.”

Body

15 May 2006

By Fredrik Dahl

Nine percent — almost one in 10 — of children aged between six months and five years, suffered acute malnourishment, said the report on food security and vulnerability in Iraq.

“Children are…major victims of food insecurity,” it said, describing the situation as “alarming.”

A total of four million Iraqis, roughly 15 percent of the population, were in dire need of humanitarian aid including food, up from 11 percent in a 2003 report, the survey of more than 20,000 Iraqi households found.

Saddam’s 35-year rule was marked by ruinous wars — first against Iran in 1980-88 and then against U.S.-led forces in 1991 and again in 2003 — as well as crippling economic sanctions in the 1990s.

The aftermath of the U.S.-led invasion has seen widespread violence, with militant and sectarian attacks and killings preventing a return to normal life for many Iraqis and hindering humanitarian aid efforts.

“Decades of conflict and economic sanctions have had serious effects on Iraqis,” the report said. “Their consequences have been rising unemployment, illiteracy and, for some families, the loss of wage earners.”

The survey was conducted by the ministries of planning and health supported by the U.N. World Food Programme and the U.N. Children’s Fund UNICEF.

David Singh, a spokesman for UNICEF’s Iraq Support Centre in neighbouring Jordan, said the number of acutely malnourished children had more than doubled, to 9 percent in 2005 from 4 percent in 2002, the last year of Saddam’s rule.

Many children in homes lacking sufficient food suffered from chronic malnutrition, the U.N. agency added.

“This can irreversibly hamper the young child’s optimal mental/cognitive development, not just their physical development,” Roger Wright, UNICEF’s special representative for Iraq, said in its statement.

Singh told Reuters: “Until there is a period of relative stability in Iraq we are going to continue to face these kinds of problems.”

UN Report Cites Vast Under-Nutrition Among Children

voices — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 17:44:31 -0600

Excerpt

IRIN
May 8, 2006

BAGHDAD, 8 May 2006 (IRIN) - One in three Iraqi children is malnourished and underweight, according to a report released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Amman on 2 May.

“Under-nutrition should not be accepted in a country like Iraq, with its wealth of resources,” said UNICEF Special Representative for Iraq Roger Wright from the Jordanian capital, Amman. Wright added that ongoing insecurity served to deter parents from visiting health centres for essential services, while many health workers had been kidnapped or killed in different parts of the country.

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IRIN
May 8, 2006

BAGHDAD, 8 May 2006 (IRIN) - One in three Iraqi children is malnourished and underweight, according to a report released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Amman on 2 May.

According to the report, a full 25 percent of Iraqi children between six months and five years old suffer from either acute or chronic malnutrition. A 2004 Living Conditions Survey indicated a decrease in mortality rates among children under five years old since 1999. However, the results of a September 2005 Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis – commissioned by Iraq’s Central Organisation for Statistics and Information Technology, the World Food Programme and UNICEF – showed worsening conditions since the April 2003 US-led invasion of the country.

The problem is particularly dire in the south, especially in the provinces of Basra, Diala, Najaf, Qadissiyah, Salahuddin and Wasit, due primarily to a lack of health funding. Health ministry officials acknowledge that the public health situation remains below international standards, but expressed hope that the recently formed government in Baghdad would provide more funding.

“We expect that, with the new government, more investment will be made to the health sector and more children will be saved,” said senior ministry official Khalid Jomaa, who went on to complain that much of the funds initially earmarked for public health had been diverted to security issues.

Aggravating the situation further is the fact that recent price increases for fruits and vegetables have made it harder for families to provide their children with balanced diets. “My son is suffering from malnutrition because I can’t afford to give him a balanced diet,” said mother of three Salua Kamar. “With my large family, it’s impossible to buy good food for all of them.”

Radioactivity Poses Risk to Population, Warns UN Nuclear Agency

voices — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 17:39:18 -0600

Excerpt

By IRIN
April 25, 2006

BAGHDAD, 25 April IRIN - The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced on Monday that some 1,000 people living near the former Tuwaitha nuclear site faced serious health risks from lingering radiation.

Tuwaitha, situated some 20 km south of the capital, Baghdad, “is one of a number of sites in the country identified as needing decommissioning or remediation, where radioactive material was used or waste buried,” according to an IAEA statement.

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By IRIN
April 25, 2006

Residents of the nearby Ishtar village, for example, are exposed to levels of radiation higher than normal, the agency noted, which - in the case of prolonged exposure - could pose serious health risks. According to Bushra Ali Ahmed, director of the Radiation Protection Centre in Baghdad, blood tests carried out on residents revealed a degree of radioactivity in almost half of them.

Devoted to nuclear research under the former regime of Saddam Hussein, Tuwaitha has the highest levels of ambient radiation in the country, according to experts. “Research was done under the Hussein regime using the most dangerous kinds of nuclear material,” said Ammar Kheiry, a senior official at the Ministry of Science and Technology. “This resulted in a concentration of radioactive material and exposure of innocent civilians to the dangerous material.”

Kheiry went on to draw attention to the government’s concern over radioactive material and equipment that vanished from Iraq’s nuclear sites in the wake of the 2003 US-led invasion of the country. There have been scattered reports, for instance, of equipment being used by poor families to store water and petrol domestically.

Officials at the health ministry, meanwhile, point out that the number of patients diagnosed with cancer countrywide has increased noticeably in the past two years. Experts suspect the main cause for rising cancer rates could be radioactive contamination resulting from the widespread use of radioactive munitions and equipment.

“Before 2003, there was one new cancer case a day in the capital, at most. This number has now risen to five per day,” said Dr Ahmed Abdul Jabbar, an oncologist at the Baghdad Radiation Hospital. “An urgent study should be undertaken, because, according to our statistics, most of the cancer cases have come from areas affected by war and fighting.”

The government, therefore, has asked the IAEA for assistance compiling a study on radiation levels throughout the country. “We’ve called for help from international organisations with expertise in these issues to protect Iraqis from becoming victims of these dangerous materials,” Kheiry explained.

The first steps to be undertaken by the IAEA will be to identify, cordon off and prioritise the areas posing the greatest risk to the population. According to agency officials, the main challenge will be to “determine unknown locations where contaminated equipment and materials might be buried and recover lost records about.radioactive materials stored in waste containers”.

But cleaning up radioactive materials is a relatively long and complicated process, say officials. “This is a huge task,” Dennis Reisenweaver, the IAEA expert heading the effort, noted recently. “And one that could take many years.”

IRAQ: Baghdadis Say Curfew Prevents Access to Medical Care

voices — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 17:38:32 -0600

Excerpt

BAGHDAD, 17 April (IRIN) - Residents of the Iraqi capital are complaining that a recently-imposed government curfew, aimed at deterring ongoing violence, is hampering access to medical care.

“My son had stomach pains two days ago, but I couldn’t take him to the hospital because we’re prohibited from leaving our homes - even for medical emergencies,” said Baghdad resident and father of four Abu Muhammad, 47.

With a curfew imposed from 11pm until 6am, no resident is allowed to venture outside between these times, while security forces have the right to shoot violators on sight. Anyone requiring medical assistance, therefore, must wait overnight to seek help.

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BAGHDAD, 17 April (IRIN) - Residents of the Iraqi capital are complaining that a recently-imposed government curfew, aimed at deterring ongoing violence, is hampering access to medical care.

The police say they have distributed telephone hotlines for people in need of urgent medical attention during the curfew period. According to those who have tried to call them, however, the phone numbers never work. “I tried to call them at midnight,” said Sarmad Khalil, 43, a shopkeeper in the Mansour district of the capital who was recently unable to get medical assistance for his 65 year-old father. “For more than an hour, the phones just rang and rang.”

Local doctors also complain about the negative impact of the curfew, which was reduced slightly two days ago. “You often have an overload of patients at 6 o’clock in the morning because all those requiring medical assistance must wait until the curfew ends,” said Dr Ibraheem Younis of the Yarmouk Emergency Hospital. “Sometimes you find patients with very serious health conditions that could have been prevented had they been seen earlier.”

In addition to problems caused by the curfew, Baghdadis have also had to endure frequent power shortages over the past four days. While officials from the Ministry of Electricity said the problem would soon be resolved, they did not reveal the reasons for the recurrent power outages.

A shortage of potable water in many areas of the capital has also caused hundreds of families to search frantically for clean water. “Day after day, our living conditions are getting worse,” said Dina Abdel-Kader, resident of the capital’s Sadr district. “We have few hours of power, and water has become a luxury.”

Doctors, NGOs Warn of High Infant Mortality in Basra

voices — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 17:36:01 -0600

Excerpt

IRIN News
April 11, 2006

BASRA, 11 April IRIN - As a result of water-borne diseases and a lack of medical supplies, infants born in the southern city of Basra are subject to abnormally high mortality rates, say officials of an international NGO devoted to child health issues.

“For weeks, there were no I.V. fluids available in the hospitals of Basra,” said Marie Fernandez, spokeswoman for European aid agency Saving Children from War. “As a consequence, many children, mainly under five-years old, died after suffering from extreme cases of diarrhoea.”

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IRIN News
April 11, 2006

Fernandez went on to cite a number of problems facing local hospitals in Basra, which is located some 550km south of the capital, Baghdad. “Hospitals have no ventilators to help prematurely-born babies breathe,” Fernandez said. “And there are very few nurses available, so hospitals often must allow family members to care for patients.”

Many doctors in the area say that the local health situation has deteriorated markedly since the US-led invasion of the country in 2003. “The mortality of children in Basra has increased by nearly 30 percent compared to the Saddam Hussein era,” Dr Haydar Salah, a paediatrician at the Basra Children’s Hospital, pointed out. “Children are dying daily, and no one is doing anything to help them.”

Fernandez added that, for the last three years, the Maternity and Children’s’ hospital in Basra had not received any cancer drugs from the health ministry. “In all of Basra, a city with nearly two million inhabitants, there’s no radiotherapy department available,” Fernandez complained.

Khalid Ala’a, spokesman for local NGO Keeping Children Alive, said that Basra hospitals lacked many essential drugs and antibiotics used to treat infections common to the area. “We’ve asked for help from the Ministry of Health, but they only tell us they don’t have money to supply hospitals,” Ala’a said. “They tell us we must wait for investment, which could take months.”

Health ministry officials, responding to the charges, point to the ongoing deadlock over the formation of a new government. “We depend on the central government for money,” said senior ministry official Ahmed Salahdinne. “What we’re receiving, we’re distributing, according to our capacity, to all areas of Iraq.”

According to doctors and NGOs, the primary causes of high infant mortality are unsafe water, diarrhoea, malnutrition, infectious diseases, maternal stress and poverty. In light of these grave circumstances, local NGOs and doctors have called on international aid agencies to help ease the situation.