WAR AND HEALTH STATUS OF THE POPULATION IN IRAQ

Iraq, or the Republic of Iraq, lies in western Asia encircling the Mesopotamian plain, the northwestern part of the Zagros mountain range and the eastern branch of the Syrian desert. Syria lies on the northwest border of Iraq, Turkey is to the north, Iran is east, and Jordan is to the west. It has a narrow coastline of about 58km at the North Persian Gulf. More than 15 years ago, a war broke out in Iraq, which turned into a disaster for the entire region. Armed conflict entailed massive displacement in Iraq. The United Nations estimates that 1.8 million people have been displaced since early August, 850,000 of them in the north of the country. Large groups of people were forced to move up to 3 times - all this has caused serious health risks that the government and international agencies led by WHO seek to eliminate. Iraq is experiencing internal instability. On the one hand, it is caused by environmental conditions, including due to the fact that Turkey blocked all the water flowing into Iraq through the Euphrates River, as well as due to environmental pollution in Iraq itself. The Iraq War destroyed an estimated 12% of hospitals and Iraq's two main public health laboratories. The collapse of sanitation infrastructure in 2003 led to an increased incidence of cholera, dysentery, and typhoid fever. Malnutrition and childhood diseases. The people of Iraq face a mixture of health hazards associated with poverty. Children, adolescents, women, the elderly, disabled people and those who are chronically ill are at particular risk. 8 The primary causes of the high burden of communicable disease among children are acute lower respiratory infections, diarrheal diseases and measles. (see Children's health). Lack of adequate sanitation and clean drinking water lead to a high risk of diarrhoea outbreaks Major causes of death in children in Iraq The three major killers in children are acute lower respiratory infections, such as pneumonia; diarrheal diseases; and measles. Child death rates due to acute lower respiratory infections and diarrhoea have increased over the last decade. These conditions account for 70% of deaths in children under five years of age.