IRAQ: Fear among refugees as cholera crosses border
BAGHDAD, 7 October 2007 (IRIN) - Despite the efforts of the Iraqi government and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to contain a recent cholera outbreak, the disease has already spread to half of the country and has also crossed the border into Iran, according to WHO and Iranian authorities.
Photo: Many children living in displacement camps are suffering from acute diarrhoea. This child, who lives in a camp near the Syrian border, is suspected to have cholera 
Photo: Afif Sarhan/IRIN 
Refugee camps on Iraq’s borders and inside Iran, Syria and Jordan have been warned of the outbreak by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
“Many of us are suffering from diarrhoea. Doctors are not always available and this week we discovered that two men who were at our camp for a short period of time are now in Baghdad being treated for cholera,” said Haifa Izidin, 36, a displaced woman living in a camp on the Iraqi-Syrian border.
“We are living in an unhygienic environment. Toilets are close to our living quarters, vegetables and beans are not washed properly – we’re therefore vulnerable to catching the disease,” Izidin added.
According to WHO, since mid-August at least 3,315 people in Iraq have been infected with cholera. Of these at least 15 have died. WHO global cholera coordinator Claire-Lise Chaignat said that up to 10 cases have also been confirmed in Iran, near the Iraqi border.
“We are worried about refugee camps in neighbouring countries as residents have poor access to clean water and sanitation and if cases are reported, the problem should be quickly tackled to prevent the spread of the disease,” said Chaignat.
