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May 09, 2003

INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

“Southern Iraq Faces Cholera Outbreak”

Bloomberg (www.bloomberg.com) (05/08/03); Tighe, Paul

There have been 17 confirmed cases of cholera in the Iraqi city of Basra, but one official from the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the actual number of cases could be 10 times higher.  The WHO noted that hospitals can “treat the symptoms but not the source of the problem, which is clearly linked to the water supply situation in Basra.”  Last week, the United Nations called for chlorine to treat water at pumping stations, noting that the citizens of Iraq are at risk of disease outbreaks, such as typhoid or cholera, due to a lack of clean drinking water.

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