Baghdad, May 15, 2001

The Iraqi Ministry of Health announced today that 8797 persons have died in Iraq during last month alone due various causes resulting from malnutrition and lack of medication brought about by the ongoing embargo on Iraq.

The Ministry explained in a monthly survey that 5696 child under the age of 5 years have died from diarrhea, tuberculosis, other lung diseases and malnutrition comparing to 347 child that had died during the same month in 1989.

The survey of the ministry pointed out also that 3101 elderly had died last month because of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and malignant tumors in comparison to 457 that had died during April 1989.

50% of the children had died due to malnutrition and 48% of the elderly from malignant tumors according to the survey.

With this latest survey the number of Iraqis that have died since the imposition of the sanctions in August 1990 has reached 1,489,949 person.