107 cholera cases in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Iraqi health officials said 107 cases of cholera have been confirmed in the central and southern regions of the country.

Cholera is a gastrointestinal disease that is often spread by contaminated water.

Ihssan Jaafar, a spokesman for the ministry's cholera control unit, said health officials are offering medical treatment and raising awareness of the outbreak among the public, the U.N's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Wednesday. He said patients are being treated with oral dehydration therapy and intravenous antibiotics.

"We don't have any shortages (of drugs) for these treatments and we can cope with any outbreak," he told the U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks.