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Iraq

Situation report on diarrhoea and cholera in Iraq, 19 Oct 2008

Attachments

1. Current Status

- The recent report of Iraq Ministry of Health indicates that 506 laboratory-confirmed Cholera cases have been detected and registered in Iraq, up to 19 October 2008.

- 57% of the cases are found in children below 5 years of age.

-There have been 8 deaths (6 males and 2 females). 50% of the deaths have been in below 5 year old children.

- Epidemiological findings have indicated that contaminated water is the most probable source of the outbreak.

- 505 cases have been identified as Inaba and 1 case as Ogawa serotypes.

2. Summary

- Table (1) Suspect, confirmed cholera cases, death and dates of the first, most recent reported case by province, Iraq, 2 new cases were reported in last 24 hours

Province
No. districts
affected
Date first
case
Date most
recent case
Death
Under
investigation
Laboratory
confirmed cholera
Diala
1
09-09-08
09-09-08
1
Wasit
1
30-09-08
18-10-08
2
Erbil
2
07-10-08
07-10-08
2
Muthana
1
07-10-08
07-10-08
2
Missan
1
07-08-08
28-08-08
1
3
Anbar
2
07-09-08
01-10-08
8
Najaf
3
17-09-08
01-10-08
9
9
Kerbala
3
05-09-08
13-10-08
2
40
Basra
5
14-09-08
10-10-08
1
2
50
Diwanyia
4
20-09-08
14-10-08
2
19
75
Baghdad
10
18-08-08
18-10-08
1
1
78
Babil
4
28-08-08
14-10-08
3
15
236
Total
32
07-08-08
18-10-08
8
48
506


- 4 cases were discovered through the routine testing of negative samples sent for laboratory quality control, 2 of them were from Erbil in northern Iraq and the other 2 were from Muthana in southern Iraq.