VATICAN CITY, APRIL 15, 2003 (Zenit.org).- The Vatican's semiofficial newspaper appealed for «solidarity with the children who are suffering» in war-torn Iraq.
«Infections and sicknesses are primarily affecting children,» the Wednesday Italian daily edition of L'Osservatore Romano reports in a front-page story.
A long article states that the «health and water emergency in southern Iraq is increasingly acute.»
Quoting UNICEF, the U.N. organization for children, the article explains that «with the passing of time, it might have harsh repercussions in terms of an increase in the rate of infant malnutrition.»
L'Osservatore Romano said that on Monday the World Health Organization reported a measles epidemic among children in the town of Kanbanka, 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Sulaimanyia.
The health organization and UNICEF are trying to carry out a door-to-door vaccination program.
ZENIT Daily dispatch - The World Seen from Rome
15. april 2003