The only person I've ever known to contract cholera was "my brother" Henry. That was in 1851, as we traveled the Oregon Trail in our covered wagon. (Yes, I am referring to that computer game that was popular when I was in third grade.) Suddenly, in the middle of a successful hunting day, ominous music announced the illness and subsequent death of a member of my wagon party, and I was left feeling bereft but comforted by the fact that, since I had never heard of it, cholera was a disease that did not actually exist anymore.
Obviously, cholera does exist, although the United States has not had a major outbreak since 1911. By last week, however, the World Health Organization had confirmed 2,116 cases across Iraq since August. Reading this, I was astounded. It is ridiculous that a nation that American military forces are attempting to help rebuild is falling victim to a disease so outdated in the developed world.
Cholera is spread through contaminated water and food that, in the most extreme cases, can kill its victims from dehydration within days. Treatments such as rehydration and antibiotics reduce the patient's risk of death, but the overuse of antibiotics has allowed the bacterium that causes cholera to develop resistance to those antibiotics. Preventative measures are a much better way to fight cholera epidemics; proper sanitation systems stop the illness from spreading.
It is true that war-torn countries are often fall victim to diseases that are preventable in peacetime. It follows, then, that the military forces of the nation involved in that war should take some responsibility to help the ravaged nation rebuild its infrastructure. So far, the American military has discussed helping by introducing a cholera vaccination program, and the head of the Iraqi Red Crescent Health Services said he plans to respond with neighborhood volunteers rather than a citywide effort that crosses dangerous sectarian lines. Congress received news of the spreading epidemic in a weekly briefing on the stability of Iraq, but has yet to mount a response.
It is appalling that on top of the daily violence that has plagued Iraq since the American invasion, Iraqi citizens are being subjected to a disease that our generation associates with a computer game. (There's that Dartmouth Facebook group about drinking because you shot 600 pounds of food but unfortunately can only carry 200 pounds...how is this not research, Mr. Gottlieb?) No people should have to live with such an illness when prevention is so effective and widely understood. Simply introducing a vaccination effort is not enough.
The WHO advises that cholera prevention efforts should be centered around providing clean water and sufficient sanitation services. It emphasizes early surveillance of disease outbreaks and the dissemination of information about cholera through the media and community leaders. So far, two cases have been confirmed in Baghdad, so it makes sense to step up such prevention efforts there immediately. The American troops in Baghdad should work together with health officials to put this in motion.
Iraqi health officials already have the knowledge and experience with which to combat cholera. However, Dr. Ryadh Abdul Amir, director of the Basra health ministry, recently reported to the New York Times that Basra was having trouble keeping sanitation at normal levels due to a shortage of chlorine, used to purify water. Iraq's importation of chlorine has decreased due to insurgents who have begun using the chemical to make bombs.
American spending on the war in Iraq is astronomical. Regardless of various opinions about the war in Iraq, I hope that Congress can agree to spend some of our money to make sure that chlorine and other useful resources go to the people who will use it well -- the Iraqi Red Crescent Health Services. Not only would we help raise the standard of living in Iraq, where our occupation has lowered it, but we would show Iraqis that we believe they are capable of running their own country.
Since it seems that American forces will be staying in Iraq in the meantime, the United States has an obligation to lead the Iraqis in defeating cholera. What America needs is a clear goal that is possible to attain through adequate planning and execution. What Iraq needs is a basic disease preventative program. The battle against the cholera epidemic in Iraq is therefore a mutual fight that both Democrats and Republicans should support, as well as one that they can win.
