ABSTRACT
The effects of extreme violence such as the war in Iraq can be far-reaching, often having severe indirect consequences. We typically think of the direct health consequences of war, such as soldier and civilian casualties caused by bullets and bombs. There are, however, numerous indirect health consequences that devastate populations (Ghobarah et al. 2003; Murray et al. 2002). Because many of these indirect effects only become evident over time, policy-makers and those who have the most control over initiating violence often do not take these factors into consideration. As armed conflict continues to affect populations around the globe it is extremely important to explore the real human cost of war. Armed conflict disrupts all aspects of civil life. Agriculture, trade, and production may
all be interrupted. War can have devastating effects on economies if the means of production are limited or eliminated and consumers are killed or displaced. Governments can be overthrown or destabilized. If governments do remain intact and functional, war often draws resources away from public services such as food security, water treatment and distribution, sewage management, and the production of electricity. The displacement of large proportions of communities as well as the loss of public servants also regularly occurs during violent conflict. All of these factors contribute to adverse health consequences. In this chapter I focus on indirect health effects of the war in Iraq, which began in
2003 and continues as of the publication date of this book. I explore the cholera outbreak that was first reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2003 shortly after the US-led invasion of Iraq (WHO 2003). The destruction of physical infrastructure, depletion of public health care systems, and limited access to medical supplies and clean water are said to account for the severity and duration of the outbreak (WHO 2007). When any of these important societal elements are disrupted, the negative impact can be far-reaching. One specific example is that with the absence of basic medical care, common ailments and illnesses that are easily treatable and not typically life-threatening have the potential to become overwhelming epidemics. I provide examples of this by exploring the outbreak of cholera in Iraq following the 2003 US-led invasion.
