Iraq News

UN fears polio surge in children from Iraq's Fallujah

The UN on Friday (June 17th) said it fears a surge in polio cases among children who have escaped from Fallujah, and has launched a "massive" vaccination campaign, AFP reported.

Residents of Fallujah, which Iraqi forces backed by international coalition airstrikes are pushing to recapture from the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL), are suffering from extremely high rates of skin disease, hyper tension and diarrhea, said Ala Alwan of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Mothers were nervous because their children had not been vaccinated since the ISIL takeover in 2014, said Alwan, the WHO's chief for the eastern Mediterranean region.

"A specific concern for us is polio," he said, adding that they have started a massive vaccination programme and urging donor nations to boost their support for Iraqi civilians fleeing the fighting.

It was too early to estimate the number of children to be targeted in the vaccination drive, Alwan said.

Do you like this article?

0 Comment(s)
Comment Policy * Denotes Required Field 1500 / 1500