,,,, ll,mntI HtA[]fl I m fi &!t.[[,fi,I$,fd,,. . T,
,::
- TELEPHONE: - FIIX (41)22.791.31.11 - E-MAIL: 1211GENEVA (41)22.791.21.11 27 SWITZERLAND inf@who.int
WHOI1S News Release 17 April 2OOT
IN IRAQ HEALTH THREATENS VIOLENCE Pressure increases as morepeoplemoveto seek security Geneva .. Escalatingviolenceand widespreadinsecurity,combinedwith a worseningshortage of increases This pressure healthworkers, is putting on the healthof the lraqipopulation. severepressure to live. in searchof safer places as peoplemovewithinthe countryand into neighbouring countries injured by Everyday in 2006, an averageof 100 peoplewere killedand manymore were seriously gunshots,shrapnelwounds and burns. As the violencecontinues, these emergencyneeds are thin, and peopleare dying as a increasingthe load on a publichealthsystemthat is alreadystretched result. The government estimatesthat almost 70 per cent of criticallyinjured patientswith violenceof competent relatedwoundsdie whilein the Emergency and Intensive Care Unitsdue to a shortage a lack staffand of drugsand equipment. The World HealthOrganization (WHO)is concerned within and outsidelraq will not that healthservices persons (lDPs)and refugees,as peoplecontinue be abb to copewith the influxof intemally displaced to leavetheir homesand movewithinand out of the country. According to the UN High Commissioner (UNHCR), nearly2 million lraqisare intemally for Refugees people(lDPs)and as manyas 2 million displaced leftthe countryfor neighbouring morehavealready Stateg,in particularSyria and Jordan.Thesefiguresare expectedto rise. WHO is concernedby the deteriorating conditionof healthcare in lraq and the increasing as burdenplaced on hostcommunities they servemoreand morepeoplewithinand outsidelraq. WHO will highlight these @ncerns at the UNHCR International Conference: Addressing the HumanitarianNeeds of Refugeesand InternallyDisplacedPersonslnside lraq and Neighbouring Counfies,whichis beingheldfrom 17to 18 April2007in Geneva. The healthsituationfor the generalpopulation is poor,with a shortage of basic services:80 per cent of people lack effectivesanitation, 70 per cent lack accessto regularcleanwater, and only 60 per cent have access to the public food distributionsystem. Diarhoea and acute respiratoryinfections, worsenedby increasedlevelsof malnutrition, accountfor abouttwothirds of deaths among children underfive. The chronicchildmalnutrition rate is estimated at 21 percentaccordingto the findingsof the 2@6 UNICEFMultipteIndicators ClusterSurvey(M|CS3). In addition,public health gains during the last few years could be lost if the cunent situation is not urgentlyaddressed.Cunently,lraq is poliofreefor the sixthconsecutive year, but routineimmunization coverageremains low, increasingthe risk of the importation polio of or of other diseaseoutbreaks. Some positiveachievementsin the surveillance diseases could be lost quickly if of communicable effortsto sustainthese effortsare not maintained. Accessto healthcare in centrallraq and in Baghdad by security threatsputtingthe is heavilyrestricted injured at risk, as well as those who need treatmentfor chronicailments,or servicesfor pregnant
NewsRelease WHOrls Page2 women, children andtheelderly. Health centres fromreduced aresuffering staff and unreliable supplies partners. despite the effortsof the national and international The dailyviolence coupled with difficult living andworking conditions arepushing hundreds of qualified health andexperienced staffto leave thecountry. WHO'shealthpriorities for lraqare to assistthe authorities to prevent and containpotential disease outbreaks, copewith the burden of injuriesthrough emergency medical seryices, improve access to essential seryices, andensure the availability supplies like medicines, medical of basic supplies and potable equipment, water, andpower andfuelforhealth facilities. WHOis activein lraq to assistnational healthauthorities and civil society organizations in restoring basicpublichealthservices pre-positioning andin strengthening emergency in hospitals services The of medicines, medical andemergency supplies locations is alsokey. atappropriate "WHO willcontinue lraqand helptheoountries to support in the region strengthen theirexisting heafth servicesto meet people'sneeds."said Dr Hussein Directorof the Eastern Gezairy,Regional Mediterranean Region ofWHO. WHOis present in lraqwitha teamof 77 country levels,backed officers at national andprovincial by WHOintemational technical teams. Oneof theirmain tasksis to support the MoHto sustain national surveillance andearlywarning system andimmunization campaigns. For further information, pleasecontact: Fad6la Chaib;Communications officer, Department WHO Geneva, 41.22.791.3228; of Communications, Telephone: Mobile: 4'l79 47555 56; Email: chaibf@who.int. Feig;Communications Christy office,Health Actionin Crises, 41.22.791.2167; WHOGeneva, Telephone: + 4179:Email: Mobile: feiqc@who.int. To knowmoreaboutWHO'sworkin lraq,pleaseconsulttheWHO/lraq website:hftp://www.emro.who.inUirad. All pressreleases, fact sheetsandotherWHOmediamatedal maybe foundat www.who.int.
RESSE -TELEPHONE(41)22.791.21.11 - FAX:(41)22.791.31.11 - E-MAIL: 1211GENEVE 27 SUISSE inf@who.int
Gommuniqu6 de presseOMSrls 17 avril2007
ENIRAK MENACE LA SANTE LA VIOLENCE alorsquede plus en plusde gens La pression augmente se d6placent en quetede sScurit6 - L'escalade g6n6rale manque croissant de personnel de la violene,e et I'ins6curit6 ainsiqu'un GenCve La pression irakienne. la santdde la population augmente mettent s6rieusement d l'6preuve m6dical lesgensse d6placent i la.recherche d'endroits i I'intdrieur du palaet verslespaysvoisins alors'que pluss0rsotrvivre. jour de 2006,unemoyenne plusgrandencore ont6t6tu6eset un nombre Chaque de 100personnes par par par gridvement Alorsque la violence des br0lures. bless6es balles, des 6clatsd'obusou la pression ces besoins d'aide humanitaire d'urgence augmentent sur un sptdme de sant6 continue, queprdsde 70 pourcent publique d6jdfortaffaibli et desgensperdent la vie.Le gouvemement estime gridvement meurent de leurs6jour bless6s d la suited'actes au cours despatients de violenc,e en unit6 personnelcomp6tent, intensifs de m6dicaments et d'6quipement. soins faute de de quelesseMces mondiale de la Sant6(OMS) de sant6d t'int6rieur et d l'ext6rieur L'Organisation craint pascapables d6plac6es et de r6fugi5s, de fairefaceA I'afflux de personnes de l'lrakne soient carles pourseddrplacer leurs du paysou pourle quitter. habitants continuent d quitter foyers d l'int6rieur prdsde 2 millions (HCR), des Nations Uniespourles r6fugi6s d'lrakiens Selonle HautCommissariat propre personnes pap d'autres ont d6jdfuit versdes et deuxmillions sontdes d6plaales dansleur paysvoisins, dewaient en particulier la Syrieet la Jordanie. Ces chiffres encore augmenter. L'OMS qui s'exercesur les la d6gradation croissante redoute des soinsde sant6en lrak et la pression d'accueil sousI'effetd'un affluxcroissant d6plac6es d l'int6rieur et en communaut6s de personnes I'lrak. de dehors fera partde ces pr6occupations intemationale L'OMS lorsde la conf6rence du HCRsur les besoins quise tientA Gendve r6fugi6es et d6plac6es les 17et despersonnes en lraket danslespaysvoisins, 18awil2OO7. par unepdnurie g6n6rale et marqu6e sanitaire de la population est mauvaise de services La situation pour priv6s efficace, 70 pourcent d'assainissement de base:80 centdeshabitants sont de systdme 60 pourcentb6n6ficient d'unsystdme de distribution n'ontpasaccdsd de I'eaupotable et seulement par une malnutrition public.La dianh6e aigues, respiratoires aggrav6es et les infections alimentaire sontresponsables de moins de cinq ans. Le croissante, d'environ les deuxtiersdesd6Gs d'enfants pour en centselonlesdonn6es recueillies chronique desenfants est estimd d 21 tauxde malnutrition par (M|CS3) de I'UNICEF. multiples 2006 I'enqu6te en gfttppes drindicateurs pounaient 6tre de sant6publique ann6es en matidre En qrfe, tes progGsr6alis6s ces demidres la situation actuelle. L'lrakest urgentes si des mesures ne sontpasprisespouram6liorer compromis pourla sixidme vaccinale syst6matique maisla couverture de poliomyrSlite ann6e cons6cutirre, exempte qui ou d'autresflamb6es de la augmente le risque reste faible, ce
Gommuniqu6de presse OMS/15 Page 2 positives 6pid6miques r6alisations de maladies. en matidre de surveillance Quelques des maladies pas pounait 6tre transmissibles rapidement compromises si lesefforts necontinuent d 6tresoutenus. L'accds aux soinsde sant6dansla partiecentrale de l'lraket d Bagdad est fortement limitdpar les qui pdsentsur la s6curit6 qui doivent6tre trait6spour des menaces des bless6set des patients maladies chroniques, ou sur les seMces destin6s aux femmesenceintes, aux enfantset aux personnes personnel 6g6es. Les centres de sant6manquent de et leurapprovisionnement est al6atolre quotidienne malgr6 les efforts des partenaires nationaux et internationaux. La violence et les difficult6s de la vie et du travailpoussent des centaines de sant6qualifi6s d'agents et exp6riment6s d quitterle pays. Les prioritds de I'OMSen lrakconsistent d aiderles autorit6s d pr6venir et d contenir des flamb6es potentielles grdce 6pid6miques de maladies, d faire face aux blessures d des services m6dicaux d'urgence, I'accds d am6liorer aux services essentiels et d assurer la disponibilit6 de fournitures de base tellesque m6dicaments, foumitures et 6quipements m6dicaux, eau potableet 6nergieet pour combustible les installations de sant6. L'OMSaide activement les autorit6s sanitaires nationales et les organisations de la soci6t6civiled r6tablirdes services de sant6de baseet d renforcer les services d'urgence dans les h6pitaux. Le pr6positionnement de m6dicaments, de fournitures m6dicales et de secours d'urgence en des lieux appropri6s est6galement crucial. "UOMS d soutenir l'lraket d aiderles paysde la region continuera leursservices A renforcer de sant6 populations", afin de r6pondre besoins aux des le Dr Hussein a d6clard Gezairy, rrigional Directeur de pourla M6diterran6e |'OMS orientale. UOMS est pr6sente en lrakavecune6quipede77personnes du paysau niveau national et provincial, par des 6quipesintemationales appuy6s de [OMS.L'unede leursprincipales tdchesest d'aiderle ministdre de la sant6d maintenir un systdme national de surveillance et d'alerterapideainsi qu'a soutenir descampagnes de vaccination. Pour de plus amplesinformations,veuillezcontacter: For further infonnatlon, ploase contact: Fad6laChaib:Charg6e de communication, +41.22.791.3228; D6partement de la Communication, OMSGendve, t6l6phone: +4179 47555 56; couniel: portable: chaibf@who.int . Chtisty Feig; Charuee de la communication, Interventionssanitairesen cas de crise, OMS Gendve, t6l6phone: +41.22.791 "2167; portabf e: + 41 79 244ffi91 ; couniel: feigc@who. int. Pouren savoirplussur le travailde IOMSen lrak,veuillez le site:htb://www.emro.who.inUinao/. consulter Tous les communiqu6s de presse,aide-m6moire et articlesde fond de IOMS peuvent6tre consult6ssur wwwwho.int