WHO sends medical supplies to Sulaimani following cholera outbreak
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The World Health Organization (WHO) sent medicine and medical supplies to the Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani governorate on Monday to support the efforts of the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Health to tackle an outbreak of cholera in the province.
.@WHO dispatched urgent medicines & medical supplies to Sulaymaniyah governorate in @Kurdistan to support the regional Ministry of Health stepping up its response to the sudden #cholera outbreak.
— WHO Iraq (@WHOIraq) June 20, 2022
👉 https://t.co/ey57hEIZiR pic.twitter.com/VzuBhvS2YE
In a press release, the WHO said it sent four “pallets of medicines and medical supplies, including infusion sets, antibiotics, and intravenous fluid (ringer lactate) to cover the needs of a population of approximately 5000 people for a duration of 3 months.”
“We are following the situation closely and have scaled up surveillance, preparedness and response activities, and hope to be able to contain the outbreak in the coming weeks in close collaboration with WHO and other partners,” said Kurdistan Region Health Minister Saman Barzinji according to the release.
The release also said that the Kurdistan Region Ministry of Health is working with the Central Public Health Laboratory (CPHL) and has requested support for testing 56 additional samples taken in Sulaimani.
As of Monday, 13 cholera cases from Sulaimani, Kirkuk, and Muthanna, were confirmed by the CPHL. Ten of these cases were recorded in Sulaimani.
“The increase in new Cholera cases in Sulaymaniyah (Sulaimani) and other governorates is a reason for concern for WHO and the MOH, as it is coming on the backdrop of the COVID19 pandemic and other epidemic-prone outbreaks that the country is still battling,” said WHO Representative and Head of Mission in Iraq Dr. Ahmed Zouiten according to the press release.
However, the WHO official said it is committed to supporting the Ministry of Health in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region “to prepare for and respond to this outbreak and lower the impact on the population, including on the vulnerable groups of women, children, and the low-income communities.”
Read More: PM Barzani allocates over $547,000 to help combat cholera in Sulaimani
On Monday, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani allocated more than $547,000 to help fight the severe cholera outbreak in Sulaimani province.
In the preceding 24 hours, Sulaimani recorded over 600 cases of diarrhea and vomiting.