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War in the Time of Cholera

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from: Bonnie Goldstein

Posted Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2007, at 12:14 PM ET

On Sept. 10 the World Health Organization issued a disease-epidemic alert (below) to announce 3,182 recent confirmed cases of cholera in the Sulaymaniyah Governate province of northern Iraq, and another 3,728 cases of the disease in neighboring Kirkuk Governate. The WHO also reported that cases have recently shown up in a third district, Erbil Governate. Ten people have died so far in the outbreak.

Currently there are roughly 160,000 U.S. military troops in Iraq, most of them in and around Baghdad. The U.S. Central Command declared on Sept. 2 that the cholera outrbreak was "not an epidemic" and that "[t]he risk of cholera spreading to Baghdad is reasonably low." But Iraqi health officials have since told the New York Times that the illness could reach Baghdad "within weeks" via the occupied country's "decrepit and unsanitary water system."

According to the WHO, cholera "can kill healthy adults within hours." Although "with proper treatment, the fatality rate should stay below 1%"; when sufferers go untreated, "as many as one in two people may die." Treatment for the disease consists of "administration of oral rehydration salts" or, in severe cases, antibiotics and replenishment of "intravenous fluids."

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hot document
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from: Bonnie Goldstein

Posted Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2007, at 12:14 PM ET
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Bonnie Goldstein is a former special investigator to the U.S. Senate and investigative producer for ABC News.
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Remarks from the Fray:

Usually, if a nation's water and waste systems have been totally destroyed by war, cholera and other serious and deadly health problems will arise. I think the issue of the problem of cholera is not that it may become a threat, but that we have been lucky enough in the past that it has not begun until now. The population of Iraq may no longer need to fear the lynchmen and thugs of hussein, but the new fears of simply drinking water, buying and eating food, and seeking fuel may be far worse.

Our forces are at some risk and we should take all steps needed to protect them from these health issues as they risk their lives while doing the bidding of the GOP. However, as a nation if we ever want to exit this country with any dignity and prospect for a lasting peace without fomenting future terrorists it is paramount that we address the issues of safe food and water for this population.

We cannot merely mitigate risks for our soldiers and then pretend we have done our duty. Whether we think the invasion and occupation of Iraq is sound policy or not we have a responsibility to ensure that the citizens of that country can at least fetch a drink of water without fear of agonizing death. Its not just about us, we broke it we have to fix it.

--NickD

(To reply, click here.)

(9/13)

Washington Post