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الشيخ الكربلائي يطالب الحكومة بتشكيل لجان متخصصة لتوفير الخدمات واعتماد العمالة الوطنية بدلا من الوافدة

ذكر ممثل المرجعية الدينية العليا في كربلاء المقدسة الشيخ عبد المهدي الكربلائي في الخطبة الثانية من صلاة الجمعة ليوم 3/جمادي الأولى /1429هـ الموافق 9/5/2008م من الصحن الحسيني الشريف ذكر طائفة من الأمور التي تهم المواطن العراقي وما يعانيه من مشاكل عديدة ووضع الحلول الوطنية والدينية لها علها تكون البلسم الشافي لتسكين الآلام واستقرار النفوس تطلعا لمستقبل واعد ينتظرنا ما دمنا سائرين على خطى التغيير المرتجى الذي يحثنا إليه ديننا ويمليه علينا انتماءنا الوطني والإنساني. واستهل سماحته الخطبة السياسية الثانية بمجموعة من الأمور نوجزها بما يلي:
الأمر الأول: سمعنا جميعا في وسائل الإعلام حصول الموافقة على سلم رواتب الدولة والخدمة الجامعية، في الوقت الذي نثمن فيه جهود مجلس الرئاسة والوزراء والنواب في التصديق على هذين القانونين حيث يمثلان أمرين مهمين لتلك الشريحتين في المجتمع، ولكن الكثير من المواطنين ليسوا موظفين بل أنهم ضعفاء، وظاهرة ارتفاع الأسعار في المواد الغذائية عالميا وارتفاع سلم رواتب الموظفين ربما تؤثر سلبا عليهم، وبإزاء هذه الظروف نتوجه إلى المسؤولين لاتخاذ الخطوات الكفيلة التي تدعم تلك الشرائح المستضعفة، حيث أنهم يمثلون شرائح واسعة من المجتمع العراقي، وعلى الحكومة دعمهم، ولتحقيق ذلك نقترح بعض الأمور لاتخاذ الإجراءات الكفيلة لتحقيق العدالة الاجتماعية:
أ‌- دعم المواد الأساسية في البطاقة التمونية حيث أن مفردات هذه البطاقة لا توفر بشكل منتظم للمواطن العراقي، والكثير يشكون بان المواد الأساسية لا توفر لهم لعدة أشهر، بالرغم من أنهم يعتمدون عليها بشكل أساسي، ونحن بدورنا تكلمنا مع كثير من المسؤولين حيث أنهم يرجعون السبب إلى قلة التخصيصات المالية ويحددونها (5.5)مليار دولار في حين أن المطلوب (7.5) مليار دولار، ونقترح على رئيس الوزراء نوري المالكي أن يشكل لجنة مختصة يشرف عليها بنفسه، على أن تكون مشكلة من عناصر كفوءة ونزيهة ومتخصصة، وتشخص الأسباب الكامنة لانعدام المواد الرئيسية كالطحين والرز والزيت، هذه اللجنة تضع تقييما موضوعيا للأسباب التي تؤدي إلى عدم توفير المواد الأساسية.
ب‌- خدمات الكهرباء مع البطاقة التمونية هذان الأمران لا يقلان أهمية من توفير الأمن، ونحن نقدر أن الكثير من وقت وجهد رئيس الوزراء يصرف للقضية الأمنية، ولكن مسالة الكهرباء تهم جميع أطياف الشعب ومن خلالها تحرك عجلة الاقتصاد العراقي برمته، وهنا كذلك نطلب تشكيل لجنة متخصصة تضع الأسباب الرئيسية لعدم توفر هذه الخدمة وتكون تحت إشرافه أيضا، وبعد تشخيص المعوقات التي تودي إلى تردى الخدمة لابد أن يحاسب المقصر دون مجاملة أو محاباة لهذا الطرف أو ذاك.
ج- تحسين رواتب شبكة الحماية الاجتماعية وهي التي توفر رواتب للعوائل الفقيرة، وان توضع مراقبة لفرز العوائل المستحقة فعلا، هناك مسؤولية دينية أولا ووطنية ثانيا لا يجوز لأي مواطن لا تتوفر فيه هذه الضوابط اخذ راتب شبكة الحماية الاجتماعية وأن أخذه في غير استحقاق سحت وحرام، لان هذا العمل يحرم المواطن المستحق من الحصول على حقوقه المشروعة.
د- تنشيط الجانب الصناعي وتوجيه الاستثمار لإقامة المصانع والمعامل، أحيانا توجه رؤوس الأموال للسياحة هذا لا بأس به، لكن حينما يتم توجيهه للمشاريع الإنتاجية فهو يوفر فرص عمل، إضافة إلى توفيرها المواد الاستهلاكية الوطنية لأبناء المجتمع.
الأمر الثاني: بعد حصول التحسن الأمني بدأت بعض العوائل المهجرة العودة إلى مناطقهم، ولكن المشكلة أن بعض المجاميع المسلحة لا تقبل عودتها إلا وفق شروط وضوابط تضعها هي، مما منع من رجوع الكثير من العوائل إلى مناطقهم، والمفروض على الحكومة من وضع ملف عودة العوائل تحت إمرة القوى الأمنية لرجوعها معززة مكرمة في ظروف يسودها الأمن وتعززها الوحدة الوطنية.
الأمر الثالث: هناك بعض الشركات بدأت تستقدم عمالا أجانب من بنغلادش وغيرها ويتم تشغيلهم في المصانع والمزارع والفنادق، وهذه الظاهرة شهدتها جميع المحافظات ومن ضمنها كربلاء المقدسة، وهذه الشركات تقدم على استقدام هؤلاء لرخص العمالة في تلك الدول، وعلى الحكومة أن تعالج هذه المشكلة لما تحمله من مخاطر حيث أنها ستمنع من تشغيل العاطلين عن العمل من أبناء الشعب العراقي، وفيه أيضا مخاطر أمنية ربما تستغل تلك العمالة من قبل بعض الجهات الإرهابية.
الأمر الرابع: بعد التحسن الذي طرأ على الرواتب المفروض أن يحفز ذلك الموظف ويحسن من أداءه ويقضي على الفساد المالي والاختلاس والسرقة من المال العام التي كانت تشهدها بعض الدوائر في الدولة، ولا عذر لموظف بعدئذ من التقصير في عمله، كما هناك مسؤولية تقع على عاتق الحكومة هناك مسؤولية تقع على عاتق الموظف، عليه الالتزام بأوقات الدوام وأداء حق العمل والمراجع، وعليه الالتزام بالعهد الذي قطعه على نفسه مع الحكومة في أداء وظيفته في أحسن ما يكون خدمة لدينه ووطنه وشعبه.
وهناك بعض الأمور مرتبطة بالمواطن وهي ما لم نغيرها في أنفسنا لا يمكن أن نغير ما حولنا، فمسالة النظافة بالرغم من تأكيد ديننا عليها إلا أننا نرى جزءا كبيرا منها يقع على عاتقنا وليس على عاتق الحكومة فقط، لاحظوا دول الجوار أن الجميع يتحمل تلك المسؤولية وأنهم ينعمون بمدن جميلة ونظيفة، أما نحن لم نرتق إلى تحمل المسؤولية الملقاة على عاتقنا وان جهود الجميع سواء كانوا مواطنين أو حكومة محلية يجب أن تنصب على نظافة الشارع والمدرسة …الخ، وكونوا على ثقة إذا لم نهتم بهذه الحالة لا يمكن أن نرتقي إلى مصاف الدول المتقدمة.
وكذلك على المواطنين المحافظة على المشاريع الخدمية المقامة حاليا خدمة للصالح العام، صحيح أن مجملها لا يرتقي بالمستوى المطلوب بيد أن البعض يقوم بتلف الكثير من هذه المشاريع بالرغم من أنها قد صرفت عليها مليارات الدنانير، مؤثرا مصلحته الخاصة على العامة وهذا ما لا يرتضيه دين ولا عقل.
الأمر الخامس: ما يتعلق بقداسة كربلاء والمدن الأخرى كالنجف والكاظمية إذ نحن نتشرف بالانتساب لهذه المدينة لأنها تحتضن الإمام الحسين عليه السلام وطالما اكتسبنا التدين والأخلاق والاحترام من قبل الآخرين إنما يعود إلى شرافة وقداسة هذه المدينة، وهي من بركة الإمام الحسين عليه السلام، وهذه الشرافة التي اكتسبناها يترتب عليه حقوق وعلى رأسها المحافظة على قداسة المدينة، وان نصونها عن بعض الأخلاق الذميمة وألا نعرضها للهتك بسبب الأعمال المنافية للأخلاق كاحتفالات الأعراس المخلة بالأدب، وعرض الملابس الماجنة التي تركب على الأجساد البلاستيكية في بعض المعارض وغيرها، ويتطلب مواقف حازمة من المؤمنين والحكومة المحلية لردع هؤلاء عن تلك الانتهاكات، لأنه أحيانا الإنسان المتهتك لا ينفع معه الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر ولابد من ردعه من قبل الأجهزة الأمنية المخ.

Guide To Fatwas

The reference article on Fatwas  has been published and can be found in the “Gorilla’s Guides For The Perplexed” permanent pages at the following address Fatwas A Brief Guide .

An extract:

Fatwas Affecting The Community As A Whole

The situation becomes more complex when the jurist is required to exercise his* judgement on matters that apply to an entire community. For example, it is generally accepted that citizens are required to give allegiance to their nation and, if necessary, to engage in war to defend its integrity and freedom. There are specialised societal agencies, the political, diplomatic, and military arms of government, to perform the assessments and carry out the tasks necessary to maintain a state’s integrity and freedom. That their job is to protect both the citizenry and the state does not empower them to issue a fatwa decreeing jihad, preparing for war, and then to escalate those preparations from a defensive posture to going on the offensive. Such decisions cannot be left solely to the arms of the state precisely because of their specialised role in society.

A religious authority empowered to issue a decree of war must consult those specialised social agencies and then exercise his judgement to clearly establish several points such as:

  • Has the point been reached where all political, diplomatic, economic, propaganda, and other peaceful alternatives been exhausted? — In other word is a recourse to military force now the only available alternative to repel aggression?
  • Has the point been reached where it is licit to take up arms against an enemy?
  • If the answer to that question is “yes” to whom, exactly, does the term “enemy” apply?  Does it apply only to enemy invading forces or does it also apply to civilians, such as diplomats and “reconstruction teams” who are their as part of the invasion?
  • Does the term “enemy” also apply to domestic forces and civilians who are assisting the invader?
  • Is it acceptable to seek the assistance of foreign fighters to help repel the invader?

* It is worth pointing out that at the time of writing (April 2008) there are female students in some of the seminaries in Qum and have been for some years now. I am in my late forties assuming a normal lifespan I expect there to be female Ayatollahs within my lifetime.

Read in full:  Fatwas A Brief Guide .

Comments are closed on that page so if you have any comments please make them here. As with all the guides we will make available as a PDF to anyone who asks for it. Usually we have the PDF ready within a day or so.

Fatima

2007 Year In Review January 1st to April 30th

January

January 03, 2007:

  • Sheik Hamed Mohammed Suhail al-Tamimi kidnapped while attending a funeral near Abu Ghraib taken to al-Shula and thrown from the top of a building-

This posting is available as a PDF follow the link below:

January 06, 2007:

  • Baghdad’s police chief Major General Ali al-Yasseri survived an attempted assassination attempt by car bomb in Karrada  one civilian killed six people wounded, including three members of the police chief protection force.
  • Maliki announces “Fard Qanoon”
  • Battle of Haifa Street begins - 30 fighters killed in pitched battle with green zone government troops, in the first day of fighting, 4 times that number were killed over the course of the fighting which lasted 4 days.
  • 27 corpses found in near the Sheikh Maarouf cemetery in the central Baghdad area of al-Allawi.
  • Iraqi journalist’s body found in Baghdad.

January 08, 2007:

January 09, 2007:

  • The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) warns that the scale of internal displacement in Iraq was beyond the capacity of humanitarian agencies, including UNHCR.
  • Death In A Garbage Dump.

January 10 2007:

  • A plane carrying 35 people crashed during landing at Balad airstrip near Baghdad yesterday, killing 32 and injuring one, with the remaining passengers missing.
    The plane was trying to land at a US military base 80 kilometers north of Baghdad when it crashed. The Moldova-registered Antonov-26 plane had taken off from an airport in Turkey’s southern city of Adana and was carrying construction workers from the Kulak construction company. Adana Governor Cahit Kirac said preliminary reports suggested that the crash was due to bad weather.
  • 11 pilgrims returning from the haj ambushed and murdered by gunmen who ambushed the convoy of pilgrims on a desert road 120 km west of Karbala.
  • U.S. forces took over a residential complex in Rawa town, Anbar province, as a new base.
  • Jaffari gave the game away.
  • Bush announces new strategy, the “surge”, that includes an additional 20,000 troops.

January 13 2007:

January 14 2007

January 15 2007:

  • 80 unidentified murder victims whose bodies were found in Baghdad buried in Karbala.
  • The botched hanging of Barzan al-Tikriti  by the green zone government who used the western method of hanging resulting in his decapitation caused disgust even among those with reason to hate him.
  • Baghdad municipal council reports that more 600 Baghdad municipal employees have been killed and a far larger number wounded. Street cleaners are particular targets.

January 16 2007:

  • At least 15 civilians were killed and 33 others wounded on Wednesday afternoon when a car bomb was detonated in Sadr city.
  • Sixty-five people are killed in car bombing of Al-Mustansiriya University.
  • At least two policemen were killed and 39 others were wounded on Wednesday when a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged car outside a police station in central Kirkuk.
  • An armed group on Wednesday kidnapped the municipality chief of Baghdad’s district of al-Mansour and killed four bodyguards.

January 18 2007:

  • Students and lecturers at Mustansiriyah University in Baghdad have formed a task force to clean up the damage caused by the bombing in which at least 60 students and staff lost their lives and 132 were wounded. Also in Baghdad the casualty toll from the bombing of the bus station at mid morning is now risen to 3 known dead and 17 known injured - all civilians. In Baghdad the green zone government announced that they would install 4 check points with surveillance cameras to control monitor main entrances to the capital for traffic from the provinces.
  • First Chlorine bomb.

January 20 2007:

January 22 2007:

Massive series of bombings on markets in Baghdad.

The massive bombings in central Baghdad are the main story of the day. So far there have been three updates posted, mostly of increases to the toll of dead and wounded. At the time of writing the toll from these two bombings alone was:

  1. At least 115 dead.
  2. At least 170 wounded

The bombs at Saadoun St. in al-Bab al-Sharqi exploded in sequence at 12:30 and 12:32 and were cascaded - timed to cause panic, maximum devastation, and casualties amongst those present. The location in one of the busiest parts of central Baghdad is important to understand not only the scale of devastation but the purpose of the attacks:

  • There are two markets involved, the area is predominantly Shia but what is important is that the markets involved are so important that their customers come from all over Baghdad and are a mix of both Sunni and Shia.
    1. al-Haraj.
    2. al-Sanak
  • Both markets are close to al-Tahrir Square and Tayaran squares.
  • The al-Haraj bomb was in a parked car it exploded at 12:30.
  • The al-Sanak bomb exploded two minutes later as the driver drove into the milling crowd .

January 25, 2007:

 January 28 2007:

  • Battle of Najaf.
    • The spokesman said “Iraqi security forces clashed on Sunday at dawn with followers of an armed group called “Supporters of Ahmed al-Hassan” just outside Najaf.”
      The fierce clashes erupted, the spokesman pointed out, when the security forces raided al-Zarga area to arrest Ahmed al-Hassan.
      “The area is now under siege by the Iraqi forces backed by U.S. troops,” Deiabil added.
      Earlier, a security said Iraqi security forces clashed on Sunday at dawn with followers of an armed group called “Supporters of Ahmed al-Hassan” in the Shiite sacred city of Najaf.
      The security source added “the assault was to arrest the group leader Ahmed al-Hassan but the strong resistance led the Iraqi forces to ask for support from the U.S. troops.”
      According to the agreement that transferred the security responsibility to the Iraqi army in Najaf on December 25, the Iraqi security forces may ask for support from the U.S. forces.
      He added “the U.S. forces immediately took part in the offensive while U.S. choppers and warplanes bombed the resistance pockets in the area.”
      “The clashes left casualties from the two sides (the forces and the followers),” said the source but declined to give a specific figure.
      “Ahmed al-Hassan Supporters” is an extremist Shiite armed group that sought leadership over other Shiite groups after its leader claimed to be a deputy of the Shiite twelfth Imam, the Awaited Mahdi.
      Al-Zarga area, the stronghold of Ahmed al-Hassan Supporters, is a rural area that is located outside the Shiite sacred city of Najaf.
      Only last week, Iraqi security forces launched a wide-scale campaign to stem this extremist group
  • Six mortar rounds landed shortly before noon on al-Khulood secondary school for girls in al-Adel neighborhood, killing five students and wounding over 20.
  • al-Qahira bombing.

February

Continue reading ‘2007 Year In Review January 1st to April 30th’ »

IRAQ: Two die of cholera in Baghdad orphanage

BAGHDAD, 19 November 2007 (IRIN) - Two Iraqi orphans died of cholera last week in Baghdad, bringing the deaths from this disease nationwide to 23 since it first appeared in August, the Health Ministry said on 18 November.

“The two boys - one died on 15 November and the other died a day earlier - were under 15 and were in the same orphanage where malnourished children were found last summer tied to their beds,” said Adil Muhsin, the Health Ministry’s inspector-general.

Muhsin told IRIN in a phone interview that those running the al-Hanan orphanage in northern Baghdad had failed to ensure the provision of clean water.

“They did not clean the water tank and… neglected our health experts’ recommendations. When we inspected it we found sediment in the tank and the chlorine was zero," Muhsin said.

Four more children at the orphanage have been diagnosed with cholera, he said.

The orphanage was in the news last June, when US and Iraqi soldiers found 24 severely malnourished boys in a dark room, some tied to beds and too weak to stand once they were unbound.

Later, Iraqi officials said the orphans had been transferred to a different building and were being properly cared for. Arrest warrants were issued for three employees of the orphanage, but they have gone into hiding and remain at large.

In October Iraqi government and UN agencies said the cholera outbreak was under control as more than 70 percent of the country’s nearly 4,200 laboratory-confirmed cases were being treated successfully.

The outbreak was first detected on 14 August in Kirkuk in northern Iraq and then spread to Sulaimaniyah, Arbil, Dohuk, Tikrit, Mosul, Diyala, Basra, Wasit, Baghdad and Anbar provinces. The hardest-hit provinces, according to Health Ministry statistics, were Kirkuk with 2,309 cases and Sulaimaniyah with 870 - both in northern Iraq.

Cholera is a gastrointestinal disease typically spread by drinking contaminated water and can cause severe diarrhoea which, in extreme cases, can lead to fatal dehydration. It can be prevented by treating drinking water with chlorine and by improving hygiene conditions.

IRIN Middle East | Middle East | Iraq | IRAQ: Two die of cholera in Baghdad orphanage | Children Early Warning Health & Nutrition | News Item

Cholera Sitrep_33

Sitrep no. 33; week 45, 08 November 2007.

Total New Laboratory-Confirmed Cholera Cases Reported During 05 - 08 November 2007 (Week 45) 28.

Table 1: Laboratory confirmed cholera Cases, Irak, 14/08/2007-04/11/2007

Province/
Governorate

No of districts affected Date outbreak started No: of deaths reported Increase
in
Reported
Deaths
laboratory- confirmed case of cholera Increase laboratory- confirmed case of cholera
Kirkuk 5 14/08/2007 5 0 3000 3
Sulaymaniyah 13 23/08/2007 14 0 1232 5
Arbil 6 06/09/07 0 0 246 11
Dahuk 4 23/09/07 0 0 6 0
Salah Ad Din (Tikrit) 3 12/09/2007 0 0 5 0
Ninawa (Mosul) 3 15/09/07 1 0 6 0
Baghdad-Resafa 3 19/09/07 1 0 32 8
Wasit 1 20/09/07 0 0 2 1
Basra 2 19/09/07 0 0 2 0
Anbar 1 03/10/07 1 0 2 0
Diyala 3 03/10/07 0 0 6 0
Total 44 Not Applicable 22 0 4540* 28*

* The increases in this report are for within the 3 day period November 5th 2007 to November 8th 2007 period not a full week.

The most important development during weeks 44-45 is the steep increase in the number of cholera cases reported from Baghdad. The number of laboratory confirmed cases jumped from 11 to 32 cholera cases representing an increase of 290% in the cumulative cases. 44% of new confirmed cholera cases this week were reported from Baghdad Resafa; mainly from the highest risk areas in the 3 most disadvantaged districts in Baghdad (Sadr City, Me’dain and Resafa districts).

Data provided from Baghdad is neither complete nor timely; therefore what is reported may be an underestimation of the real situation.

Previous WHO Reports:

The most recent publicly available WHO situation report is for: 8 November 2007 . Preceding WHO situation reports on this outbreak are available in PDF form from the following links:

4 November 2007 , 31 October 2007 (Sitrep 31 covered a partial period only and we have not covered it in this series. 28 October 2007 21 October 2007 9 October 2007 6 October 2007 1 October 2007 29 September 2007 25 September 2007 24 September 2007 22 September 2007 21 September 2007 20 September 2007 19 September 2007 18 September 2007 17 September 2007 16 September 2007 13 September 2007 12 September 2007 11 September 2007 10 September 2007 9 September 2007 6 September 2007 5 September 2007 3 September 2007

Biased Kirkuk Media Inflame Tension

 

City’s rival groups use their respective media as propaganda weapons.

By IWPR reporters in Kirkuk (ICR No. 234, 2-Oct-07)

News organisations aligning themselves with ethnic-based and religious parties are inflaming tensions in Kirkuk by pushing the agendas of those they represent.
Kirkuk journalists and residents complain that the media often presents biased reports that create discord among the city’s diverse population.
Media critics maintain that rather than writing in the public’s interest, Arab, Turkoman and Kurdish media organisations in Kirkuk tend to represent the views of the groups they back - and, in doing so, are fuelling the conflicts that are fracturing city.
“There is no newspaper in Kirkuk that tells the truth, and the media is generally responsible for escalating feelings of malice and hatred,” said Nariman Sadiq, a teacher in a girls’ intermediate school.

Continue reading ‘Biased Kirkuk Media Inflame Tension’ »

Cholera Sitrep_21

Overview:

As of October 1st 2007, 33 districts in Irak are affected by this cholera outbreak.

A total of 33 districts are affected. 26 districts of Northern Iraq and 7 districts in the south and center.

  • 13 out of the 14 districts of Sulaymaniyah governorate.
  • All five districts of Kirkuk governorate
  • All seven districts of Arbil governorate
  • One district in Dahuk
  • 3 districts in (Salah Ad Din) Tikrit
  • One district in Ninawa (Mosul),
  • One district in Baghdad
  • One district in Basrah
  • One district in Wasit

are now affected by this cholera outbreak.

There are 2803 laboratory-confirmed cases of cholera in all together with a number of cases diagnosed on clinical grounds.

The total of 2803 cases represents an increase of 45 laboratory confirmed cases since the last situation report. .

  • 96% of Iraq’s cholera cases were reported from Sulaymaniyah and Kirkuk.
  • The out break seems to be slowly spreading to the neighbouring governorates of Arbil and Diyala.

    - Arbil has  111 laboratory confirmed cases.

    - Diyala has 31 cases diagnosed on clinical grounds.

  • There appears to be a developing upward trend in Sulaymaniyah governorate.
  • In Kirkuk the daily reported diarrhea cases, confirmed cholera cases and severity of the disease seems to be on the increase.
  • One of the important features in this out break is that most of the cases seen have mild to moderate signs and symptoms. The traditional signs and symptoms of severe dehydrating diarrhea were seen only very occasionally, out of the 2803 lab confirmed cases; only 14 death were reported, most the deceased have
    another serious underlying cause.
  • Apart from the affected governorates there is no sign that the disease has spread to any other part of Irak. However, as the weather cools and become more favorable for transmission, the organism is expected to spread.

Table-1: Cases of laboratory confirmed cholera cases reported from Iraq

Governorate/
Province
No of districts affected Date outbreak started No: of deaths reported laboratory- confirmed case of cholera
Sulaymaniyah 13 23/08/07 11 806
Kirkuk 5 14/08/07 2 1874
Erbil 7 06/09/07 0 111
Dahuk 1 23/09/07 0 4
Mosul 1 12/09/07 0 3
Tikrit 3 15/09/07 0 4*
Baghdad-Resafa 1 19/09/07 1 2
Wasit 1 20/09/07 0 1
Basra 1 19/09/07 0 1
Total 33   14 2803

* + 4 healthy carriers

Detailed reports by governorate/district are below the fold:

Continue reading ‘Cholera Sitrep_21’ »

Cholera Sitrep_17

Overview:

As of 23rd of September 2007, districts of Northern Iraq and districts in the south and center have reported laboratory-confirmed cases of cholera. The outbreak is mostly in the northern governorates but appears to be spreading to the neighbouring governorates:

Previous WHO Situation reports on cholera outbreak in Irak can be downloaded as PDFs from the following links:

The latest WHO report(s) can be downloaded as a PDF from here:

  • 24 September 2007

    • Dohuk reported a case in one district.
    • Only one district of Sulaymaniyah governorate does not have reported laboratory-confirmed cases of cholera.
    • Dokan district which is the main water supply for Sulaymaniyah city has reported 40 confirmed
      cholera cases.
    • All five districts of Kirkuk governorate have reported laboratory-confirmed cases of cholera.
    • Only one district of Arbil governorate does not have reported laboratory-confirmed cases of cholera.

    In the southern and central governorates  One district in each of:

    • Baghdad.
    • Basra.
    • Mosul.

    has reported confirmed cases

    • Tikrit.

    has reported cases in three districts.

    • There are cases awaiting confirmation from Babil and Wasit.
    • The overwhelming majority of cases were reported from Sulaimaniyah and Kirkuk with the majority of those being in Kirkuk and Sulaimaniyah cities.
    • As the weather cools and become more favourable for transmission, the organism is expected to spread to other provinces.
    • The surveillance system for diarrhoeal disease has been intensified in all provinces

    Table-1: Cases of laboratory confirmed cholera cases reported from Iraq1

    Governorate/
    Province
    No of districts affected Date outbreak started No: of deaths reported laboratory- confirmed case of cholera
    Sulaymaniyah 13 23/08/07 9 638
    Kirkuk 5 14/08/07 1 1375 including 25 Ogawa
    Erbil 6 06/09/07 0 96
    Dahuk 1 23/09/07 0 1
    Mosul 1 12/09/07 0 4*
    Tikrit 1 15/09/07 0 2 +1*
    Baghdad-Resafa 1 19/09/07 1 2
    Basra 1 19/09/07 0 1

    *One case from Mosul and another from Tikrit are pending central public health lab confirmation

    1 There is a discrepancy in the figures between this sitrep (number 17) and the most recently available sitrep (number 15.) Sitrep Number 16 is not available.

    Sitrep 15 gives a total 2253 lab confirmed cases of which 2245 are of the inaba serotype and 8 of the ogawa serotype. Sitrep 17 gives a total of 2116. We include below the table from Sitrep 15 for ease of reference.

    Arbil Governorate

    96 confirmed cases - an increase of 3.  The total number of cases of diarrhoeal disease reported from this province  at 16326 with no death.  3436 stool samples were collected out of which 109 were positive. 96 of those positive results were for cases and 13 from contacts. It is too early to detect any pattern but the general trend in reports show a slight decrease in the daily confirmed cases

    At-Ta’mim (Kirkuk) Governorate

    There is a discrepancy in the data from this governorate. See above.

    Babil Governorate

    There is a report of a case in Babil. Confirmatory test results are expected by WHO within 48 hours.

    Baghdad

    The confirmed cholera case from Baghdad died on 22nd of September bringing the national death toll to 11 cases. Stool sample of one of her contracts who later developed symptoms was also positive as vibrio cholera of the inaba sero type bringing the confirmed cases in Baghdad to 2.

    Basra Governorate

    1 confirmed case - No change from last available sitrep.  

    Dahuk Governorate

    On 23rd of September; Dahuk health authority reported the first laboratory confirmed V cholera in a 5 year old  female child from Bardarash district in Dahuk governorate. It is important to note that the first index case for 1999 out break (over 900  cases) started in the same area which the WHO requested to visit during her last mission to
    north Iraq, however, the request was denied. The case was detected during the routine testing of cases presenting to health facilities with watery diarrhea. Further investigation of contacts and water supply was negative for V cholera organism.

    Diyala Governorate

    17 patients from this governorate presented to Baladruz, salahaddin and Baquba hospitals with severe dehydrating diarrhea with renal shut down in one of them. They were diagnosed and treated for Cholera. Specimen collection was done late after patient had antibiotics for the majority of cases.

    Ninawa Governorate

    Nothing to add to latest report.

    Salah ad Din Governorate

    Tikrit: Another 2 cases were confirmed positive for vibrio cholera bring the total cholera cases to 4.

    Sulaymaniyah Governorate

    638 confirmed cases from this governorate with 9 deaths. 70% of those confirmed cholera cases were reported from the governorate capital.  Data on admitted diarrhea cases to the pediatric and teaching hospitals in Sulaimaniyah since September 1st show little change in the incidence among the under 5 age group but a clear declining trend in the over 5 age group.

    A cause for concern is that there are 40 confirmed cases from the Dokan Lake district this is the main source for water supply for Sulaimaniyah city. The water department and health authorities are exerting “special effort” to protect the lake from any possible contamination by cases or carriers. It is to be hoped that these efforts are successful.

    Wasit Governorate

    There is a report of a case in Wasit. Confirmatory test results are expected by WHO within 48 hours.

    Cholera Sitrep_8

    Summary:

    As of 12th of September 2007, twenty one districts of Northern Iraq have reported laboratory-confirmed cases of cholera putting over 3.5 million people exposed to risk from this ongoing outbreak.

    Fourteen out of sixteen districts of Sulaymaniyah province, all five districts of Kirkuk province and two out of seven districts of Arbil governorate  are now affected by this cholera outbreak in Northern Iraq. A map showing the affected districts together with statistical tables and charts can be found in the WHO Sitrep_8 which can be downloaded from here as a PDF.

    Previous WHO Situation reports on cholera outbreak in northern Iraq can be downloaded as PDFs from the following links:

    There have been 10 deaths so far. The outbreak continues to be of major threat to public health in the region.

    The source of the outbreak is still not known.

    Rest of Irak

    There is no sign that the disease has spread to any other part of Irak. See Cholera Sitrep_7 for the situation in Dhi Qar, Diyala, and Salah ad Din.

    Baghdad

    • A stool sample collected from a suspected case in Baghdad has tested negative for Vibrio Cholerae.

    Ninawa Governorate

    • One stool sample collected from Mosul has shown positive growth for Vibrio Cholera at the local public health laboratory and is now being retested at the National Public Health Laboratory in Baghdad.

    The remainder of this posting deals with the affected governorates and the measures being taken to contain the outbreak:

    Continue reading ‘Cholera Sitrep_8’ »

    BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Iraq violence: monitoring the surge

    Iraq violence: monitoring the surge
    Baghdad


    The number of violent deaths in Iraq fell again this week, as the US military commander in the country told Congress that the troop “surge” was working.

    An extra 30,000 US personnel have been deployed in Iraq, mainly in and around the capital Baghdad, since the launch of the security drive, in February.

    The BBC World Service is monitoring its effects, week by week, looking at casualty figures, the pressure on hospitals and quality of life for ordinary civilians.

    The graphics and analysis are based on figures from the US and Iraqi authorities, Baghdad’s hospitals and three families from different neighbourhoods in the capital.

    SECURITY

    Continue reading ‘BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Iraq violence: monitoring the surge’ »