Baghdad is facing a ‘catastrophe’ with cases of cholera rising sharply in the past three weeks to more than 100, strengthening fears that poor sanitation and the imminent rainy season could create an epidemic…
As Iraq’s rainy season nears, its aging water pipes and sewerage systems, many damaged or destroyed by more than four years of war, pose a new threat to a population weary of crisis. Claire Hajaj, a spokeswoman for Unicef, said: ‘Iraq’s water and sanitation networks are in a critical condition. Pollution of waterways by raw sewage is perhaps the greatest environmental and public health hazard facing Iraqis – particularly children. Waterborne diarrhea diseases kill and sicken more Iraqi children than anything except pneumonia. We estimate that only one in three Iraqi children can rely on a safe water source – with Baghdad and southern cities most affected.’…
The UN has reported 22 deaths from cholera this year, and 4,569 laboratory-confirmed cases, almost exclusively in northern Iraq where it was first detected in Kirkuk in August. It has now spread to half of the country’s 18 provinces, but anxiety is focused on Baghdad.
Pestilence and plague was a byproduct of war in the Dark Ages – and the thrilling days of yore. Seems to have returned with the new Romans.
ANOTHER thing that drives me crazy about the Bush administration and the pentagon, is their low balling of death figures for this war.
Do you think ANY official US casualty figures (let alone FOX) will include deaths caused by the non presence of healtcare, due to war?
Considering the left’s power brokers can’t even pick someone (search on “superdelegates” if you can’t take a hint), get used to it.
Silly liberals.
I guess the Iraqis now realize what a blessing the US occupation is.
In a few weeks, you have really won their hearts and minds.
Great job, George!
Cholera can be boiled out for drinking water.
Wow, so everything is George Bush’s fault. And where were all these cases the last 4 years? Maybe this is the remnants of Saddam’s bioweapons program being put into action?
“Maybe this is the remnants of Saddam’s bioweapons program being put into action?”
thanks, I needed a good laugh.
>>Pestilence and plague was a byproduct of war
>>in the Dark Ages – and the thrilling days of
>>yore. Seems to have returned with the
>>new Romans.
Yep, heckuva job, Bushie. I really hope he can award himself a Presidential Medal of Freedom. With his MISSION ACCOMPLISHED in Iraq, the “response” to Katrina, the shady electioneering in ’00 and ’04, shredding that “goddamned piece of paper” (the Constitution), trying to implement a police state, the war profiteering, trying to steer all the money from Social Security into the pockets of his wealthy Wall Street middlemen, the unstinting efforts to provide medical care to America’s 45,000,000 uninsured (and vastly higher numbers of underinsured), I wouldn’t be surprised if he nominated himself for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Abolish term limits! Make Little Georgie KING FOR LIFE!
22 deaths from cholera this year is not a crisis.
BDS is the crisis!
It will take over a decade and several trillion dollars, maybe more if it keeps falling in value, to restore this country to western standards. That’s with civilian cooperation, political stability, and reasonably honest contractors. Remember Arabs and Persians at any given time may want to blow each other up instead of Westerners. There’s a reason allied nations stayed in Axis Europe and Japan after WWII. You can’t decapitate a country and walk away without expecting years of despair.
A nation, SAID, to have the largest oil reserves, and hundreds of trucks loaded and running day and nite, and SOME of that money, that we are taking AWAY, isnt going BACK into rebuilding??
>>SOME of that money, that we are taking
>>AWAY, isnt going BACK into rebuilding??
Naw, I’m sure Dumbya is using it to keep gasoline prices down. He always has our interests at heart.
WOOT!!! Cholera = population control
#5. “Maybe this is the remnants of Saddam’s bioweapons program being put into action?”
say what you want about the neocons, the world would be a lot less amusing place without them!
Blast a country back to the dark ages and you have…the dark ages.. and all that wonderfulness that we were taught in grade school about those times of peace and tranquility. Bush didn’t skip grade school also ? (James Hill : You are one weird dude. I know there’s a brain in there but you really need to get some oxygen to it instead of the political dogma you think is more important.)
So where was this cholera six months into the war? Where was the cholera 18 months into the war?
Where was the cholera 30 moths into the war?
I guess this was because of the surge then. Having soldiers moving around from region to region must have kept cholera from spreading…