A. SITUATION ANALYSIS

Description of the disaster

On 19 June 2022, Iraq’s health authorities announced a cholera outbreak after at least 13 cases were confirmed across the country and thousands of hospital admissions for acute diarrhea were reported. The number of diarrhea cases kept increasing well beyond the normal ranges witnessed in previous years. As of 02 November 2022, there was a total of 3,063 confirmed cholera cases and 19 deaths across the country.
Cholera remains a threat to public health and an indicator of inequity and lack of awareness in communities.
During the health cluster meeting held in Sulaymaniyah on 21 June, the Directorate of Health (DOH) highlighted the challenges to the health department and requested support for providing medicine and medical supplies, including intravenous (IV) fluid (ringer lactate), infusion sets, and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) materials.
The DOH also requested logistic support, such as hiring vehicles to facilitate the activities of rapid response teams, water quality monitoring, and disease surveillance teams. Further, the Ministry of Health in both Baghdad and the Kurdistan region requested in-country humanitarian actors’ support to deal with this outbreak.