Immunization Newsbriefs (c) Copyright Information
Inc., Bethesda, MD. Brought to you by the National Network for Immunization
Information (NNii). Visit NNii's new website at
http://www.immunizationinfo.org.
June 11, 2003
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS
UNICEF Worried by Health Risks to Iraqi
Children
Iraqi children are 2.5 times more at risk of
diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid compared to the same period
last year, according to UNICEF. The recent war in Iraq has destroyed the
country's government health surveillance system, so an overall picture of
disease in Iraq is impossible. However, UNICEF's Geoffrey Keele noted recently
that a limited survey indicated that over 70 percent of Iraqi children had
reported experiencing diarrhea at least once this year. In addition, there have
been 66 cases of cholera in Basra, primarily among young children, while
hospitals in Baghdad are reporting cases of typhoid and dysentery.
DISCLAIMER: All
information, data, and material contained, presented, or provided here is for
general information purposes only and is not to be construed as reflecting the
knowledge or opinions of the publisher, and is not to be construed or intended
as providing medical or legal advice. The decision whether or not to vaccinate
is an important and complex issue and should be made by you, and you alone, in
consultation with your health care provider.
"A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth."
-- Albert Einstein, letter to a friend, 1901
"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."
-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to William C. Jarvis, September 28, 1820
"What's the point of vaccination if it doesn't protect you from the unvaccinated?"
-- Sandy Gottstein
"Who gets to decide what the greater good is and how many will be sacrificed to it?"