May 8

World Health Organization says Iraq faces cholera outbreak

World Health Organization (WHO) spokeswoman Melanie Zipperer said on 7 April that Iraq is at risk of a cholera outbreak if access to food and water are not improved, AFP reported the same day. "The hospitals in Baghdad are completely overflowing and could run low on medication or medical equipment. If the situation gets worse, we will have to face a humanitarian crisis," AFP quoted Zipperer as telling France's LCI television. Zipperer said the WHO has requested that a corridor be opened to transfer food and supplies from Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey. Cholera outbreaks typically appear when there is a lack of proper sanitation -- which can come with a lack of water. Meanwhile, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) spokesman Florian Westphal said on 7 April that Iraqi hospitals are overburdened and are having trouble keeping up with the number of patients, adding that one hospital in Baghdad received over 50 casualties in five hours on 7 April. Westphal added that the ICRC delivered drinking water to five hospitals and established bladder tanks at three hospitals on 6 April. Westphal added that hospitals, particularly those that perform surgery, require large amounts of water. KR