New cholera cases confirmed in Iraq

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraq’s Health Ministry has confirmed cholera cases for the first time in Arbil, northern Iraq, and Samawa, southern Iraq, a health ministry official said Wednesday. “17 new cholera cases have been confirmed, with four in Arbil and Samawa for the first time,” Ihsan Jaafar told IraqiNews.com. The number of cholera cases across Iraq have thus reached 479 since the beginning of an outbreak in August, he said. He however expressed fear that the disease would spread in the governorate now that Samawa had two confirmed cases. Basra lies the most southern tip of the country. Wednesday’s statement says the southern province of Babel tops the list with 230 cases, while the capital Baghdad comes next with 73 cases. 39 cases confirmed in Karbala after detecting five new cases, seven news cases were detected in Diwaniya to reach 61, one new case in Basra to raise the cases in it to 50, 8 in Anbar, 3 in Missan, 9 in Najaf, one in Diala and Wassit. Cholera is a gastrointestinal disease that can be spread by a lack of clean drinking water. The problem has worsened by the poor state of Iraq’s infrastructure after years of neglect and war. SH (S) 1