BAGHDAD: A cholera outbreak in Iraq claimed its first victim Tuesday, with 17 new cases recorded in the country within 24 hours, a health ministry spokesperson said.
The death was recorded in the northern province of Kirkuk, the ministry’s Seif Al-Badr was quoted as saying by state media.
“Over the past 24 hours, 17 new cases were detected, bringing the total to 76 cases registered in Iraq since the start of the year,” he said.
The outbreak was first officially reported earlier this month, with Kirkuk accounting for one of the 13 cases confirmed at that time.
The other infections were mostly concentrated in neighboring Sulaimaniyah province, in the autonomous Kurdistan region.
The country’s last broad cholera outbreak dates back to 2015, Badr had said previously, with the central provinces of Baghdad and Babil to its south the worst affected.
Cholera is an acute diarrheal disease that is treatable with antibiotics and hydration but can kill within hours without medical attention.
It is caused by a germ that is typically transmitted by poor sanitation. People become infected when they swallow food or water carrying the bug.
According to the World Health Organization, researchers estimate that annually there are between 1.3 million and four million cases of cholera worldwide, leading to between 21,000 and 143,000 deaths.
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Iraq announces first cholera death since new outbreak
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Iraq announces first cholera death since new outbreak
- The other infections were mostly concentrated in neighboring Sulaimaniyah province, in the autonomous Kurdistan region
Fresh strikes hit Iran as Israel says war enters ‘next phase’
- Powerful explosions shattered the skies above Iran’s capital Tehran early Friday
- Strikes followed warnings from Israel and the US they were stepping up their attacks
TEHRAN: Fresh strikes rocked Iran on Friday as Israel vowed to escalate to a new phase in the Middle East war that has spiraled rapidly throughout the region and beyond.
Powerful explosions shattered the skies above Iran’s capital Tehran early Friday as Israel said it was striking “regime infrastructure” in the city.
Internet coverage is running at about one percent, according to monitor group Netblocks, limiting information about the impact of the war on ordinary Iranians.
In Tehran, the war has emptied the usually traffic-jammed streets but residents said that security forces are keeping a tight grip on the population.
The powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “has closed almost every main street with armed personnel and heavy machine guns to frighten people,” a 30-year-old Tehran resident said from Paris.
“The people are the real enemy in their eyes, not the Americans. Their extremists say first you have to deal with the enemy at home.”
Friday morning’s strikes on Tehran followed warnings from Israel and the US they were stepping up their attacks, first launched on Saturday in a barrage that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“We are now moving to the next phase of the operation,” Israel’s military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said in a televised statement.
“We have additional surprises ahead which I do not intend to disclose,” he added.
Iran launched new retaliatory attacks early Friday against neighboring countries that host US forces. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
It also launched a new wave of missiles and drones targeting Tel Aviv, Israel, on Friday morning, the semiofficial ISNA news agency reported.
The latest strikes mark a full week of attacks affecting countries across the Middle East.
Powerful explosions shattered the skies above Iran’s capital Tehran early Friday as Israel said it was striking “regime infrastructure” in the city.
Internet coverage is running at about one percent, according to monitor group Netblocks, limiting information about the impact of the war on ordinary Iranians.
In Tehran, the war has emptied the usually traffic-jammed streets but residents said that security forces are keeping a tight grip on the population.
The powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “has closed almost every main street with armed personnel and heavy machine guns to frighten people,” a 30-year-old Tehran resident said from Paris.
“The people are the real enemy in their eyes, not the Americans. Their extremists say first you have to deal with the enemy at home.”
Friday morning’s strikes on Tehran followed warnings from Israel and the US they were stepping up their attacks, first launched on Saturday in a barrage that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“We are now moving to the next phase of the operation,” Israel’s military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said in a televised statement.
“We have additional surprises ahead which I do not intend to disclose,” he added.
Iran launched new retaliatory attacks early Friday against neighboring countries that host US forces. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
It also launched a new wave of missiles and drones targeting Tel Aviv, Israel, on Friday morning, the semiofficial ISNA news agency reported.
The latest strikes mark a full week of attacks affecting countries across the Middle East.
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