Thursday, April 19, 2007
Public Health Failings
80 percent of Iraqis lack access to sanitation, 70 percent lack regular access to clean water, and 60 percent lack access to the public food distribution system, the report says. As a result of these multiple public health failings, diarrhea and respiratory infections now account for two-thirds of the deaths of children under 5, the report said. According to a 2006 national survey conducted by Unicef, 21 percent of Iraqi children are chronically malnourished, which puts them at risk for both stunted growth and mental development.
