Digest by David Smith-Ferri, Voices in the Wilderness

Summary
Several articles follow this summary.

At the recent gathering of the UN Human Rights Commission, Jean Ziegler, UNHRC food specialist, announced the findings of a report that concluded that acute malnutrition among Iraqi children under five has nearly doubled since the US invasion and occupation, rising from 4% in 2002 to 7.7% today. Malnutrition is one of the most comprehensive indicators of the well-being of children, because it relies on the functioning of many sectors of society. Ziegler didn’t stop there. He condemned the US military tactics in the siege of Fallujah. “At Fallujah…the blockade imposed on food and the destruction of water reservoirs was used as weapon of war.” This, he said, was a “clear violation” of the Geneva Conventions. He went on to say that money for food aid is drying up, and blamed the huge amounts being spent on the “war on terror.” Any effort to curb terrorism, he said, should be linked to efforts to ease hunger and poverty. US spokespersons, trying to minimize the political damage from the report, attacked both Ziegler’s credibility and the validity of his findings.

In Baqubah, 80 miles from Baghdad, there has been an outbreak of leishmaniasis, a disease which “leads to disfigurement of the face and hands, and social stigma, particularly for women and children.” The disease is associated with poor sanitary conditions, especially a lack of sewage treatment and the accumulation of garbage in public places. In Baqubah the disease has spread at an alarming rate. Coping with the disease is beyond the means of individual hospitals. It will require the cooperation and effective action of governmental agencies, and as the director of the Infectious Disease Control Center, Dr. Abdul Jalil Nafi, maintained “All our efforts could come to nothing if the government doesn’t take urgent action to reduce sewage on the streets and repair the water purification system in the country because, without it, the doors will still be open for the appearance of new diseases.” One wonders to what extent the US government will take responsibility, as an occupying nation, and aid in dealing with the disease.

The articles in this digest also include stories of “paralysis” in Iraqi hospitals, which have yet to see significant improvements in equipment and staffing, the US military storming of hospitals in Ramadi and Haitha, and the unauthorized sale of medicine on the streets.