Some 30,000 people in Iraq have become seriously ill with cholera and other forms of dehydrating watery diarrhea which has spread through the northern part of the country. These severe intestinal diseases cause a massive loss of fluid and are deadly within hours if not treated. Cholera is spread by contaminated water or food. The cholera and diarrhea outbreak in Iraq is related to the increasing lack of quality drinking water and the inadequate sewage systems.

According to health care workers in the country, there is an acute shortage of medicines to control the disease. In response to this lack of treatment and in order to help quell the epidemic, AmeriCares and its partner International Medical Corps (IMC) delivered critical medicines to Iraq in an emergency airlift.

"When we heard of the grave situation in Iraq, we knew we could provide the help needed to aid people in desperate need of care," said AmeriCares President and CEO Curt Welling. When IMC, the nonprofit organization working on the ground in Iraq, made an urgent request for help, AmeriCares immediately contacted longtime pharmaceutical partner Baxter, who quickly donated IV solutions. AmeriCares also purchased other medicines and medical supplies to treat the disease and delivered all the relief to IMC for distribution. The total shipment was worth nearly $500,000 and could treat up to 6,000 of the most critically ill patients.

"We are extremely grateful for AmeriCares swift and generous contribution to our humanitarian efforts in Iraq. After four years of work under extremely difficult conditions, International Medical Corps is well positioned to help our local partners in combating the crisis," says Nancy Aossey, President and CEO of International Medical Corps.

The medicines were airlifted to Baghdad and are being distributed to health care facilities in collaboration with the Iraqi Ministry of Health, with at least half of the donation going to internally displaced communities.