By IANS
Tehran : Over 7,000 cases of cholera have been reported from the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is taking emergency measures to help authorities in Suleymaniya, Kirkuk and Erbil provinces contain the epidemic, Iranian news agency Irna reported quoting a UN Information Center (UNIC) release.
Ten people have so far been reported dead, the report said.
“We still need different materials to control this pandemic such as drugs and medical supplies, diagnostic and enteric disease bacteriology kits, water testing kits, awareness and communications tools and equipment,” WHO technical officer Omer Mekki said.
“We are doing our best effort to lead the UN emergency aid in north Iraq,” he added.
The WHO is providing technical assistance to local health authorities for risk assessment, strengthening surveillance system and improving coordination, the release said.
The WHO-Iraq office has ordered two truckloads of intravenous fluids and antibiotics to be sent to the region.