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For 7 years, an average 150 Iraq children a day under 5 years old, or total 350,000, have died because of no food for growth and disease immunity, or medicines for infected or sick people. The number has now increased to 160 children per day. Total deaths for all ages is 400 per day, or 920,000. |
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One in 3 children under 5 year old are so malnourished they have ‘stunted’ growth only previously seen in pre-famine conditions in Africa that have occurred for less than one year duration, whereas the Iraq 7 year embargo is the longest total trade blockade in world history. |
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Due to decreased mother’s food intake, 1 in 4 babies at birth are under 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds), up from 1 in 20 in 1990, and will continue to have very low weight through childhood. This has previously only occurred in famine conditions. |
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Diseases like typhoid, hepatitis, and tuberculosis are at epidemic levels from lack of food nutrients that produce low disease immunity. This child died from liver failure and Jaundice, after receiving no medicine for Hepatitis. |
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Dysentery and Cholera affect ½ million people from polluted drinking water, as water purifying plants bombed in ‘91 have not been rebuilt because of no spare parts. |
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A 3 month old who died moments after this photo was taken. Bronchial Pneumonia, Tuberculosis, and other chest infections kills more children under 5 than any other illness because of low immunity and no antibiotics. |
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Diabetes, cancers like Leukemia, blood disorders, and thousands of other illnesses, are untreatable because of no insulin, cancer drugs, or operating room medicines. |
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From 1989 to ’97 infectious diseases have increased dramatically. Typhoid Fever has increased from 1800 to 15,000 cases, Amebic Dysentery 20,000 to 550,000, Cholera 0 to 850, Scabies 0 to 40,000, Viral Hepatitis 1800 to 30,000, and Giardiasis 70,000 to 600,000 cases. |
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A pregnant woman who died awaiting a cesarean section. Medicines are stopped for irrational reasons, for example ANGECET pills that angina sufferers put under their tongues to stop chest pain and prevent death, are not allowed because the U.N. says nitroglycerin could be used as an explosive. In fact it would take hundreds of thousands of pills to produce one very small explosive device, and explosive devices such as rifle shells are allowed by the U.N. |
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Many mothers work to feed other children, and cannot breast-feed babies. Non breast-feeding mothers are rationed only 7 small cans of baby formula a month, which stops when the child is one year old. Baby formula in a market costs 3,000 dinars for 5 days supply, but an average women’s salary is 6,000 dinars a month. |
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Only selected life-threatening surgery is attempted as operating rooms have almost no equipment or drugs. Everyone, including children, are operated on with only muscle relaxants and a small amount of sleep-inducing gas, but very little or no morphine, so patients experience terrible pain which shows on their faces as eye-movements and tears. |
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Operating equipment is all pre-1990, including light bulbs. Iraq has asked that food, medicine, and hospital equipment, be excluded from the blockade, as they could not be used to make weapons, but the U.N. has refused, and justifies this by alleging Iraq continues to hide chemical weapons. |
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In 6 years the U.N. has found no biological or chemical weapons, however they now say "unsubstantiated intelligence reports" indicate Iraq is hiding "4 tons of deadly VX nerve agent, 10,000 liters of botulism toxin, and 6,000 liters of anthrax spores". The Iraq government says no chemical weapons exist, however the U.N. says it has evidence there "may be some", and thereby continue justifying the trade blockade and the WAR ON IRAQ’S CHILDREN. |
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References: 1. December, 1997 visits to El Mansour Pediatric Hospital, and Abin-Elblidi Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq, by Canadian writer John Ball. 2. Reports from U.N. Food Agriculture Organization (F.A.O.), & World Food Program (W.F.P.). October, 1997. |
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YOU CAN HELP STOP THE WAR ON IRAQ’S CHILDREN:
Add your name to the list to be sent to the President of every country which has a seat on the U.N. Security Council, including the President of the United States. Text of letter to Presidents of countries with seats on the U.N. Security Council:
We the undersigned ask that you direct your U.N. Security Council representative to vote to end the 7 year Iraq trade blockade for the following reasons:
1. Every day 160 children under the age of 5, and 400 of all ages, are dying from pre-famine conditions and disease epidemics caused by lack of food and medicine, 2. U.N. inspections have found no chemical or biological supplies in 7 years, and the Iraq government has publicly stated no supplies exist, 3. The U.N. embargo policy is backfiring, for increasing numbers of people in Arab countries and around the world believe the blockade is no longer necessary, and are therefore resentful towards U.N. member countries which they feel are responsible for continuing the blockade.
Signed by concerned people of the world: |
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