BAGHDAD // Iraq’s health ministry said it has found its first suspected polio case in 14 years, which could have originated in neighbouring Syria where confirmed cases have sparked a region-wide alert.
As reported by The National earlier this week, the suspected case was found in a young boy in Bab Al Sham near Baghdad, ministry spokesman Ziad Tariq said.
He said the case was not yet confirmed and that samples had been sent to the United States for further testing, with results expected on Sunday.
If confirmed, it would be Iraq’s first case of polio since 2000.
“We suspect the case originated in Syria,” Tariq said. “We are afraid of that, we have thousands of refugees from Syria, and the health situation is complicated because Anbar is bordering Syria.”
Anbar, a predominantly Sunni province in western Iraq, has been long been a source of unrest in Iraq.
In early January, anti-government fighters took control of all of the Anbar city of Fallujah, and parts of the provincial capital Ramadi, some of which they still hold.
Late last year, the UN confirmed that at least 17 children in war-wracked Syria had been paralysed by polio, in the country’s first cases of the disease since 1999.
Fifteen of the cases were in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, large swathes of which are under rebel control.
The outbreak in the midst of Syria’s three-year-old civil war prompted the World Health Organisation and UN childrens’ agency Unicef to launch a vaccination campaign for 23 million children across the Middle East, which got under way in earnest this month.
Mr Tariq said a vaccination campaign was already under way in Iraq and would run until April 6, over and above routine childhood vaccinations.
Agence France-Presse
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
MORE ON TURKEY'S SYRIA OFFENCE
Disposing of non-recycleable masks
Use your ‘black bag’ bin at home
Do not put them in a recycling bin
Take them home with you if there is no litter bin
- No need to bag the mask
