By Cherry Norton, Health Correspondent

The Independent
26 May 2000

The number of babies and young children dying in Iraq has doubled since the Gulf conflict and the introduction of United Nations sanctions.

Research published in The Lancet today shows that the infant death rate has jumped from 47 per 1,000 live births during 1984-1989 to 108 per 1,000 in 1994-1999, and under-five mortality has risen from 56 to 131 per 1,000 live births.

The situation in south and central Iraq is continuing to deteriorate because of malnutrition, power and water supply shortages in hospitals, and an increase in communicable diseases such as water-borne diseases and malaria, the authors said. The most vulnerable groups have been the hardest hit, especially children under five who are exposed to unhygienic conditions.

The study, by Mohamed Ali, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Iqbal Shah, from the World Health Organisation in Geneva, looked at childhood mortality in two regions of south and central Iraq. The findings show that childhood mortality is higher among children born in rural areas and children born to women with no education. The study also found that boys were more likely to die than girls.

Trade sanctions were imposed against Iraq in August 1990. The war started on 16 January 1991 and a ceasefire was declared after six weeks. After the conflict an autonomous region, inhabited mainly by Kurds, was established in northern Iraq and in 1995 the Oil for Food programme was set up.

In contrast to the rest of Iraq, childhood mortality has declined in the north from 64 to 59 per 1,000, and under-five mortality fell from 80 to 72 per 1,000 between 1984-89 and 1994-1999, because of access to better food and resources.

Dr Ali and his colleagues conducted a cross-sectional household survey in the south and centre of Iraq in February and March last year. More than 23,000 married women aged between 15 and 49 were interviewed. A similar survey was done among 14,000 married women in the autonomous region in April and May.

The researchers found that only half of the urban population and a third of rural inhabitants of the south and central region have access to safe drinking water, compared to 90 and 70 per cent respectively before sanctions began.

An accompanying editorial in The Lancet says sanctions should be suspended: "The courageous policy is to suspend sanctions lest upcoming generations of Iraqis, out of resentment, suffering, and isolation, grow up to be as aggressive as their current leader."
 

*Scientists claim to have detected brain damage in Gulf war veterans which could make them more susceptible to developing Parkinson's disease. Scans have shown up to 25 per cent of nerve tissue in parts of the brain had been lost or damaged, which could account for many symptoms of Gulf war syndrome, the researchers at the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center, said.