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WHO’s latest map is now available -  click the thumbnail to the left to see full size or follow the text link below:

http://gamapserver.who.int/mapLibrary/Files/Maps/IQ_Cholera_20070925.png

the map is in PNG format and the filesize is 896 KB (917,504 bytes). It may take some time to load on a slow connection. WHO’s collection of maps for cholera outbreaks in Irak and elsewhere can be found here: Cholera outbreak maps. Their factsheet can be found here: WHO cholera fact sheet.

Cholera in Iraq - update 3

3 October 2007

Since the cholera outbreak was first detected in Kirkuk, Northern Iraq, on 14 August 2007, it has spread to 9 out of 18 provinces across Iraq. It is estimated that more than 30 000 people have fallen ill with acute watery diarrhoea, among which 3 315 were identified as positive for Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium causing the disease. A total of 14 people are known to have died of the disease. The case-fatality rate has remained low throughout the outbreak indicating that those who have become sick have been able to access adequate treatment on time.

ends

BAQUBAH, 3 October 2007 (IRIN) - The humanitarian situation in Diyala Province, eastern-central Iraq, is deteriorating because of continuing tension between armed factions and the difficulty of accessing internally displaced persons and the needy, said local aid workers.

“We are unable to reach thousands of families because of the serious security situation in the area. Many armed factions have prevented us from delivering humanitarian assistance to groups opposed to them, leaving families without food and other support,” said Nafie Obeidi, vice-president of the Iraq Aid Association (IAA), a local nongovernmental organisation.
“We were advised to leave the delivery of aid to the [Iraqi] military or to warring factions but with the increase in violence we doubt if food will reach local families,” Obeidi added.

DAMASCUS, 2 October 2007 (IRIN) - The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is continuing to push for “humanitarian visas” for Iraqi refugees after Syria once again closed its borders to the continuing influx of refugees fleeing Iraq.

UNHCR witnesses at the Syria-Iraqi Al-Tanf border crossing on 1 October reported that entry was closed to refugees, with “only commercial drivers receiving visas”.

According to the new regulations only Iraqis with visas granted for education, business and scientific purposes will be granted access into Syria. The restrictions were first introduced on 10 September but Syria reopened the border to all Iraqis as a gesture of goodwill for the Muslim holy-month of Ramadan.

A Syrian Interior Ministry spokesperson told IRIN: “Syria began yesterday [1 October] applying the visa regime in order to organise the number of Iraqi refugees in the country.”

The UNHCR has expressed its concern at the step and urged the Syrian government to initiate a humanitarian visa system.
“There have been negotiations about humanitarian visas for those in very dire situations and who cannot afford to stay in Iraq,” said Dalia al-Achi, a UNHCR spokesperson in Syria, saying that they are still waiting for the government’s response.

The new visa restrictions come in response to the more than 1.5 million Iraqis who have fled to Syria since the US-led war in 2003, according to UNHCR, swelling the Syrian population by 8 percent and placing a huge strain on domestic social services.

According to the government, the cost of hosting Iraqi refugees stands at US$1 billion per year, a figure which they complain the international community is not helping them meet.

The numbers of Iraqis crossing the border reached 20,000 per day prior to the beginning of Ramadan as Iraqis sought to escape into Syria before the introduction of the new visa restrictions. The previous average stood at about 2,000 per day.

Confusion

The closure of the border about 10 days before the end of Ramadan has thrown many Iraqis into confusion after the government had initially said it would wait until the end of Ramadan to recommence the stricter visa regime.

Speaking to IRIN at the beginning of Ramadan one Iraqi family said they would be returning to Baghdad for financial reasons, but that they hoped to return to Syria before the end of Ramadan, when the restrictions where due to come into force.
As of 2 October the family had not returned to Syria and with the new restrictions it seems unlikely they will be permitted re-entry.

“We never confirmed or denied we would do it by the end of Ramadan,” said the Syrian government spokesperson, blaming the Ramadan speculation on unconfirmed rumours.
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Theme(s): (IRIN) Aid Policy, (IRIN) Governance, (IRIN) Refugees/IDPs

IRIN Middle East | Middle East | Syria | SYRIA: UNHCR presses for “humanitarian visas” as Syria closes border to Iraqis | Governance Aid Policy Refugees/IDPs | News Item