Falluja doctors report rise in birth
defects
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8548707.stm
(VIDEO) John Simpson talks about the children with birth defects he saw
in Falluja
Doctors in the Iraqi city of Falluja
are reporting a high level of birth defects, with some blaming weapons
used by the US after the Iraq invasion.The city witnessed fierce fighting in
2004 as US forces carried out a major offensive against insurgents. Now, the
level of heart defects among newborn babies is said to be 13 times higher than
in Europe. The US military says it is not aware of any official reports showing
an increase in birth defects in the area. BBC
world affairs editor John Simpson visited a new, US-funded hospital in
Falluja where paediatrician Samira al-Ani told him that she was seeing
as many as two or three cases a day, mainly cardiac defects.
Professor Alastair Hay from Leeds University says the cause of the
birth defects is still in doubt
Our correspondent also saw children in the city who were suffering
from paralysis or brain damage - and a photograph of one baby who was
born with three heads. He adds that he 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.[I.E. Depleted uranium. Hajja Romi]
British-based
Iraqi researcher Malik Hamdan told the BBC's World Today programme that
doctors in Falluja were witnessing a "massive unprecedented number" of
heart defects, and an increase in the number of nervous system defects. She
said that one doctor in the city had compared data about birth defects
from before 2003 - when she saw about one case every two months - with
the situation now, when, she saw cases every day. Ms Hamdan said
that 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. "I've seen
footage of babies born with an eye in the middle of the forehead, the nose on
the forehead," she added. 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 said. "Unexploded ordinance, including improvised explosive devices, are a
recognised hazard," he added.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8549745.stm
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