Shafaq News- Kirkuk
More than 150 cases of diarrhea and vomiting were recorded in Kirkuk’s Riyadh subdistrict on September 29 and 30, the head of the Kirkuk Health Directorate’s Second Health Sector told Shafaq News on Saturday.
Jassim Yassin Hussein said the local health center received about 70 patients with diarrhea and vomiting on the first day.
Most water projects operated by the Kirkuk Water Directorate did not meet required health standards for disinfection, Hussein said, calling for stronger disinfection measures and monitoring of drinking water sources to protect residents and reduce the risk of illness.
He added that communicable disease teams from the health sector and the local health center visited the Riyadh water project, distributed chlorine tablets to residents and collected water samples for laboratory testing. Teams also surveyed areas where cases had been recorded. Health authorities also provided emergency medical supplies and coordinated medical and monitoring teams to follow up on the cases, while launching public awareness campaigns on safe drinking water and measures to prevent communicable diseases.
In July, southern Kirkuk faced a worsening drinking water shortage, with local officials warning that 95 villages and more than 32,000 residents have been affected.