Iraxandstorm leaves 1,800 people with respiratory problems: Health officials

Sandstorms in central and southern Iraq sent over 1,800 people to hospitals with breathing problems on Monday, health officials said.

Authorities temporarily closed airports in the southern provinces of Najaf and Basra as the biggest sandstorm of the year.

Withstanding the fierce summer heat and normal sandstorms, Iraq is one of the five countries most affected by several effects of climate change, says the United Nations.

A hospital in Mutanna province in southern Iraq has been subjected to at least “700 cases of choking,” said local health official Magen al-Egiri.

More than 250 people have been hospitalized in Najaf, according to the health department.

AFP photographer in Najaf saw police officers and pedestrians wearing face masks to protect themselves from clouds of choking heavy hanging in the air.

In a nearby ambulance, the paramedic rescue rescued a young man breathing through the air.

At least 322 patients, including children swarming at Diwaniya hospitals, said Amer Al-Kinani, media officer for the state health department.

Over 530 people in DHI QAR and BASRA state had breathing problems, local health officials said.

The Sandstorm has significantly reduced visibility to less than a kilometer (0.62 miles), but is expected to gradually disappear by Tuesday morning, weather services said.

In 2022, one person died and more than 5,000 people were treated for respiratory illnesses in hospitals due to Iraq’s heavy sandstorm.

The Ministry of the Environment warns that it can expect to experience an increasing number of “dust days” over the next decades.

©2025 AFP