WHO confirms cholera outbreak in Iraq

As of Oct. 8, WHO confirmed 1,263 cases of Vibrio cholerae 01 Inaba in Iraq.

Cholera infections were reported from at least 15 governorates, most occurring in Babylon, Baghdad, Qadisiyyah and Muthanna.

The country’s ministry of health established a Cholera Command and Control Center in response to the outbreak, which will search for and monitor cases within the communities. WHO reported that preparedness activities will focus on camps housing displaced people and refugees. These activities include distribution of bottled water, hygiene kits, bleaching powder and chlorine tablets; disinfecting septic tanks at health care facilities; sanitizing the water treatment plant; and disseminating information on cholera prevention through social media, radio stations and door-to-door campaigns.

A nationwide campaign was recently conducted in the country from Oct. 4 to Oct. 11 by the Federal Ministry of Health, WHO and UNICEF. The collaborative effort largely focused on vaccinating children against polio, but also was dedicated to distributing information on how to detect, prevent and treat cholera, according to a press release. The campaign reached approximately 1.5 million households.

“WHO is supporting the campaign through a provision of technical expertise at national, regional, and subnational levels in high-risk areas,” Altaf Musani, MPH, WHO representative, said in the release.

Health officials along with the International Coordinating Group are assessing whether to distribute oral cholera vaccines from a global stock. They are currently identifying priority groups for vaccination and developing a vaccination plan, according to WHO.