Water pollution prompts Kurdistan cholera outbreak

Photo Credit: Mohammed Majid/Metrography

Slemani in Iraq's Kurdistan Region is currently experiencing a cholera outbreak with local hospitals treating hundreds of people each day for symptoms. 

A number of prisoners were also affected, with two dying in the past two weeks. 

Drought conditions, pollution of water sources, and degraded infrastructure are largely to blame for the outbreak. 

The health directorate of Slemani earlier announced the registration of 482 new cases of "diarrhea and vomiting" during the past 24 hours in the province.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) decided to allocate 800 million dinars as an emergency budget to face cholera in Slemani.

The administration of Slemani formed a supreme committee to confront cholera after the province's health declared a "state of emergency" following the registration of deaths due to the epidemic.

On Monday, the Ministry of Health in the Kurdistan Region announced the dedication of 4 hospitals to receive diarrhea and vomiting cases in Slemani Governorate.

Cholera is an acute diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with Vibrio cholerae bacteria. People can get sick when they swallow food or water contaminated with cholera bacteria. The infection is often mild or without symptoms, but can sometimes be severe and life-threatening.


Photo Credit: Mohammed Majid
PUKmedia/Metrography