Posted on 09/24/2004 12:01:04 PM PDT by neverdem
Collapse of water and sewage systems is believed to be at root of the illness
BAGHDAD A virulent form of hepatitis that is especially lethal for pregnant women has broken out in two of Iraq's most troubled districts, Iraqi Health Ministry officials said in interviews here this week, and they warned that a collapse of water and sewage systems in the country is probably at the root of the illnesses.
The disease, called Hepatitis E, is caused by a virus that is often spread by sewage-contaminated drinking water.
The officials said that their limited ability to test for the virus had already been overwhelmed by the hepatitis outbreaks, suggesting that only a fraction of the actual cases have been diagnosed. But in Sadr City, a Baghdad slum that for months has been convulsed by gun battles between a local militia and American troops, as many as 155 cases have turned up.
The second outbreak is in Mahmudiya, a town 56 kilometers, or 35 miles, south of Baghdad that is known as much for its kidnappings and drive-by shootings as for its poverty, where 60 suspected cases have been seen. At least nine pregnant women are believed to have been infected, and one has died. There have been five reported deaths overall. "We are saying that the real number is greatly more than this, because the area is greatly underreported," said Dr. Atta-alla Mekhlif al-Salmani, head of the viral hepatitis section at the Health Ministry's Center of Disease Control.
The World Health Organization is rushing Hepatitis E testing kits, water purification tablets, informational brochures and other materials to Iraq to help with the outbreaks, said Dr. Naeema al-Gasseer, the health agency representative for Iraq and a UN health official, who is now based in Amman, Jordan.
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
Main Entry: 2epidemic Function: noun 1 : an outbreak of epidemic disease 2 : an outbreak or product of sudden rapid spread, growth, or development; specifically : a natural population suddenly and greatly enlarged
Diseases spread in areas that are hostile to freedom and democracy...news at 11.
May I be the first to say "It's Bush's fault."
I never heard about an epidemic of Hepatitis E before this. It's the proverbial medical zebra, usually discussed by gastroenterologists or hepatologists. This probably qualifies as breaking news, but the admin mod needs to make the call as breaking medical news can be iffy, but this is also derived from the underlying political situation in Iraq.
If America was in a war zone I don't think I would see Americans causing so much suffering on their own just to make a point. Even a Democrat wouldn't stoop that low IMO to win.
Allah is not pleased.
Dems have been doing it for at least a few decades.
Right.
Hepatitis E is endemic to the Middle East.
But fortunately, the disease is not spread by person-person transmission. Only fecal-oral transmission occurs, usually from feces in the drinking water. This is very sad to hear that people have died, and unfortunatly is not uncommon to this area of the world.
...so then Entoprocts must have constant Hepatitis E
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