Increasing deaths in Iraq as a result of the embargo

A statement released by the Iraqi Ministry of Health said on Wednesday that 10,047 Iraqis including 7,297 children under five died during July because of diseases such as diarrhea, breathing problems and malnutrition.

The ministry added that 2,750 elderly died as a result of heart-disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other health problems.

On August 13, UNICEF published a study which was the first of its sort since the end of the Gulf War in 1991, which indicates that the mortality rate doubled as a result of the UN sanctions imposed on Iraq.