Medact counts the human cost of war

Civilians would be the main casualties of a war on Iraq with a death toll of between 48,000 and 4 million, public health professionals have warned Tony Blair.

Former president of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine, Dr June Crown, has written to Mr Blair urging him to pursue alternatives to declaring war on Iraq in the light of the likely health and environmental costs.

‘We are concerned that the direct and indirect civilian casualties will be high,’ warned Dr Crown, who is president of Medact, the lobby group of health professionals campaigning on the health consequences of war.

Her letter follows a report by Medact published last month outlining the possible effects of a war on Iraq. Total deaths from the conflict could total half a million on all sides, rising to 4 million if nuclear weapons were deployed, according to the report, written and researched by health advisers. Based on evidence of the health toll in the 1990-91 Gulf War, comparable conflicts elsewhere and up-to-date information on the health status of Iraqis, it says war in Iraq would have a ‘devastating impact’ on the lives, health and environment of the soldiers of all sides, Iraqi civilians, and people in neighbouring countries.

As well as deaths in the conflict, the aftermath could cause civil war, famine, epidemics, a flood of refugees and ‘catastrophic effects’ on children’s health. The financial cost of a war could total £200bn – enough to fund eight years’ spending to address the health needs of the world’s poorest. The report outlines non-violent strategies to solve the crisis.