Kurdish Red Crescent deploys medical teams to fight diarrhea in Rojava
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdish Red Crescent has deployed a number of medical teams to areas in northeast Syria (Rojava) that do not have hospitals, as scorching weather approaches and a lack of clean water leads to cases of diarrhea.
The organization has launched an awareness campaign and deployed medical teams to several areas, especially remote villages and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, testing people and providing treatment.
The Kurdish Red Crescent said on Thursday that cases of diarrhea have increased in Sari Kani camp, “especially among the children.”
Dr. Mohammed Nuri from one of the teams told Rudaw most of the cases they treat are diarrhea and poisoning – due to the lack of clean drinking water and hot weather.
“We have been visiting areas which are far from health centers for five days. We are about four teams,” he said, referring to the 60 remote villages the teams have visited in northeast Syria in areas like Qamishli and Derik (al-Malikiyah).
Not all cases are related to diarrhea. Ida Ahmed, 65, has heart disease. She told Rudaw she has not been able to see a doctor downtown for two years due to poverty. However, she had the opportunity to meet a doctor from the organization.
Syria’s civil war, now in its tenth year, has damaged much of the country’s infrastructure and killed hundreds of thousands. Millions have been displaced within the country and are living in dire conditions.
“The water is not suitable for drinking,” Faris Hemo, the head of Hasaka National Hospital, told Rudaw in late May. “People get poisoned by the water,” he said, adding the symptoms they displayed showed they had consumed contaminated water.
Hemo said 1,359 people have fallen ill due to contaminated water in Hasaka province since early April while another 369 were diagnosed with acute diarrhea.
Turkey’s invasion of Sari Kani (Ras al-Ain) and Gire Spi (Tal Abyad) in 2019 as well as Turkey’s regular cut from Euphrates waters have caused water cuts, forcing residents in some places to buy water from water tanks or rely on wells. But health authorities have warned that this water is not suitable for drinking.
Alouk water pumping station is located east of Sari Kani (Ras al-Ain) and provides clean water for the surrounding area including Hasaka city, Areesha camp, and al-Hol camp. It was damaged in a Turkish bombardment on October 11.
The organization has launched an awareness campaign and deployed medical teams to several areas, especially remote villages and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, testing people and providing treatment.
The Kurdish Red Crescent said on Thursday that cases of diarrhea have increased in Sari Kani camp, “especially among the children.”
Dr. Mohammed Nuri from one of the teams told Rudaw most of the cases they treat are diarrhea and poisoning – due to the lack of clean drinking water and hot weather.
“We have been visiting areas which are far from health centers for five days. We are about four teams,” he said, referring to the 60 remote villages the teams have visited in northeast Syria in areas like Qamishli and Derik (al-Malikiyah).
Not all cases are related to diarrhea. Ida Ahmed, 65, has heart disease. She told Rudaw she has not been able to see a doctor downtown for two years due to poverty. However, she had the opportunity to meet a doctor from the organization.
Syria’s civil war, now in its tenth year, has damaged much of the country’s infrastructure and killed hundreds of thousands. Millions have been displaced within the country and are living in dire conditions.
“The water is not suitable for drinking,” Faris Hemo, the head of Hasaka National Hospital, told Rudaw in late May. “People get poisoned by the water,” he said, adding the symptoms they displayed showed they had consumed contaminated water.
Hemo said 1,359 people have fallen ill due to contaminated water in Hasaka province since early April while another 369 were diagnosed with acute diarrhea.
Turkey’s invasion of Sari Kani (Ras al-Ain) and Gire Spi (Tal Abyad) in 2019 as well as Turkey’s regular cut from Euphrates waters have caused water cuts, forcing residents in some places to buy water from water tanks or rely on wells. But health authorities have warned that this water is not suitable for drinking.
Alouk water pumping station is located east of Sari Kani (Ras al-Ain) and provides clean water for the surrounding area including Hasaka city, Areesha camp, and al-Hol camp. It was damaged in a Turkish bombardment on October 11.