The above graph tracks the incidence of cholera in Iraq from August 15 to October 30, 2008. The September outbreak has been blamed on corrupt officials using expired Iranian chlorine which failed to sterilize local water supply:
This year, the government hoped to stop another outbreak of the disease by repairing shattered water and sanitation stations and putting chlorine in the water supply. An Iraqi government official, who did not want his name published, said the Health Ministry bought $11m (£6.4m) worth of chlorine from Iran for use in the provinces of Babil, Diwaniyah and Kerbala, all on the Euphrates river south of Baghdad.
In the latter two provinces, officials noticed that the chlorine was old and the time during which it could be employed effectively had expired, and refused to use it. But in Babil the chlorine was put in the fresh water supply stations at al-Madhatiyah, al-Hashimiyah and al-Qasim, south-east of the provincial capital, al-Hillah. Soon 222 people were confirmed as having cholera in Babil, in a total of 420 cases of whom seven have died.
This is not the first time politics has shaped cholera in Iraq. In 2007, insurgents detonated a number of chlorine trucks in improvised chemical attacks. As a result, the US and Iraqi government began holding up chlorine imports at the Jordanian border due to fears of their use as VBIEDs (Vehicle Based Improvised Explosive Devices). However, chlorine is a key tool in preventing the spread of cholera. The resulting chlorine shortage allowed an epidemic of cholera to spread across Iraq, infecting more than 7000 Iraqis.
Hat Tip: The Ground Truth in Iraq
Christopher R. Albon is a political science Ph.D. specializing in armed conflict, public health, human security, and health diplomacy.
Want more? Subscribe to Conflict Health through RSS or email.
Comments on this entry are closed.