Sunday, May 21, 2023

Iraq -- political issues, hemorrhagic fever


The head of the National State Forces Alliance, Ammar al-Hakim, stressed the necessity of establishing diversity as a general culture and managing it in a way that guarantees its investment as bridges to communicate with the countries of the world.

Al-Hakim said in a statement, "The importance of cultural diversity lies in its effective power and ability to move the wheel of sustainable development and raise the reality of the level of economic growth."


Various political leaders and parties are in the news.  For example, Tamim al-Hassan (ALMADA) reports that Sunnis are consolidating around two alliances for upcoming elections.  While this is taking place, Shi'ites are in disarray with some pinning the blame on their waiting to see what cleric Moqtada al-Sadr might do.  Suadad al-Salhy (MIDDLE EAST EYE) adds:
 

As the final days of the holy month of Ramadan approached, Muqtada al-Sadr busied himself with preparations for his annual itikaf, a period of reflection to be spent in the great mosque of Kufa.

To those around him, it seemed clear he was trying to divert his attention away from events in the world outside the walls of his home in central Najaf's Hanana.

It has been almost a year since the influential Shia cleric announced his withdrawal from politics. Over the past few months, as a new Iraqi government was formed without his participation, he resolutely refused to enter into any political dialogue or receive visitors trying to speak to him about developments or issues the country was facing.

Sadr's entourage could see how difficult it was for Sadr to remain calm as he made his arrangements for the three-day Kufa mosque retreat. It was plainly difficult for him to stay away from the daily drama of Iraqi politics.

 

Meanwhile, NINA notes MP Arshad al-Salehi, who heads the Turkman bloc in Parliament, has stated "that the national diversity in Iraq has become confined among Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds, indicating that the constitution is the one that distinguished among Iraqis in a sectarian and racist manner par excellence, and the policy of marginalization and exclusion against the components continues until now."  All of this takes place as Iraq is set to hold provincial elections next fall on November 6th.  Is Moqtada missed in politics?  Maybe by some.  Not by all.




ALSUMARIA notes Sadr City, a section of Baghdad often termed a "slum" and a stronghold of support for Moqtada, saw at least three fires which destroyed shops.


Dropping back to Friday's snapshot:


 Starting with this from MENAFM:

 Iraq registered up to 119 cases of viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHF), including 18 deaths, since the beginning of this year, the Iraqi Ministry of Health said on Thursday, trend reports citing xinhua .

The ministry's spokesman Sayf al-Badr told the official Iraqi News Agency that 35 of the detected VHF cases were registered in the southern Dhi Qar province, followed by Basra with 18 cases, and the rest are spread across the other provinces.

Al-Badr added that six of the 18 deaths by the infectious disease were registered in Dhi Qar, followed by the southern province of al-Muthanna with three deaths.from MENAFM:
From the Center for Disease Control:

Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) are a group of diseases that are caused by several distinct families of viruses. The term “viral hemorrhagic fever” refers to a condition that affects many organ systems of the body, damages the overall cardiovascular system, and reduces the body’s ability to function on its own. Symptoms of this type of condition can vary but often include bleeding, or hemorrhaging. Some VHFs cause relatively mild illness, while others can cause severe, life threatening disease. Most VHFs have no known cure or vaccine.

Although VHFs are caused by several families of viruses, these viruses share some common characteristics:

  • They are RNA viruses, meaning viruses that have ribonucleic acid (RNA) as their genetic material. These viruses are the most common cause of emerging disease in people because RNA viruses change over time at a high rate.
  • They are covered, or enveloped, in a lipoprotein outer layer, making it easier to destroy these viruses with physical (heat, sunlight, gamma rays) and chemical (bleach, detergents, solvents) methods.
  • They naturally exist in animal or insect populations, referred to as host populations, and are generally restricted to the geographical areas where the host species live.
  • They spread to people when a person encounters an infected animal or insect host. After the initial spread into the human population, some VHF viruses can continue to spread from person-to-person.
  • Outbreaks of VHFs in people can be difficult to prevent since they can occur sporadically and cannot be easily predicted.



Jabar Bechai (ALMADA) reports. that Wasit province is taking measures hoping to prevent the further spread of hemorrhagic fever -- at least one person has died and at least five are infected.  Measures include prevention of livestock entering Wasit from other provinces and educating people on things to look for when purchasing meat.  


 Lastly,  GLOBAL ECHO notes, "Over the past two days, large fires have devoured wheat fields, orchards and palm trees in several Iraqi governorates."

The following sites updated:


 
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