Syria: 500 Douma patients had chemical attack symptoms, says WHO

Source: The Guardian




World Health Organization condemns attack on rebel-held town outside Syrian capital at weekend

Kareem Shaheen in Istanbul

Wed 11 Apr 2018 06.23 EDT

The World Health Organization has said an estimated 500 people went to health facilities with “signs and symptoms consistent with exposure to toxic chemicals” after the attack on the rebel-held town of Douma in Syria at the weekend.

“WHO demands immediate unhindered access to the area to provide care to those affected, to assess the health impacts and to deliver a comprehensive public health response,” Peter Salama, the agency’s deputy director general for emergency preparedness and response, said in a statement issued in Geneva.

UN aid agencies do not have access to most of the enclave of eastern Ghouta, including Douma where the alleged attack occurred. The Syrian government has denied responsibility for the attack.

The WHO report adds to mounting evidence of the use of toxic gas in the attack, which killed at least 42 people and has raised the prospect of American airstrikes against forces loyal to the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/11/syria-douma-patients-chemical-attack-symptoms-who