Iraq War fallout: Birth defects
DOCTORS in the Iraqi city of Falluja are reporting a high level of birth defects, with some blaming weapons used by the US-led forces during and after the Iraq invasion. Now the level of heart defects among new-born babies is said to be 13 times higher than in Europe. BBC world affairs editor John Simpson visited a new US-funded hospital in Falluja where pediatricians told him as many as two to three cases a day, mainly cardiac defects, are reported. There are also children in the city who are suffering from paralysis or brain damage and one baby who was born with three heads.
As reported, the BBC correspondent 'heard many times' that officials in Falluja had 'warned women that they should not have children'. Doctors and parents believe the problem is the highly sophisticated weapons the US troops used in Falluja six years ago. According to a Britain-based Iraqi researcher, doctors in Falluja were witnessing a 'massive unprecedented number' of heart defects, and an increase in the number of nervous system defects. One doctor compared data about birth defects from before US-led forces' invasion of Iraq in 2003 - when rarely one case every two months used to be reported.
As per the report based on data from January this year, the rate of congenital heart defects was 95 per 1,000 births - 13 times the rate found in Europe. Defects to the extent of babies born with an eye in the middle of forehead, the nose on the forehead were found as admited by the hospital doctors. A spokesman for the US military, Michael Kilpatrick said it always took public health concerns very seriously. 'No studies to date have indicated environmental issues resulting in specific health issues', he is quoted as saying.
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