WHO alarmed by use of highly toxic chemicals as weapons in Syria

New Delhi: World Health Organisation has termed 'an intolerable barbarism' the use of banned chemicals in an attack in Khan Shaykhun, in southern rural Idleb, Syria leaving at least 70 people dead and hundreds affected. 'The use of chemical weapons is a war crime and is prohibited in a series of international treaties,' including the Hague Declaration concerning Asphyxiating Gases, the 1925 Geneva Protocol, the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), a WHO statement said.

Doctors in Idleb have reported that dozens of patients suffering from breathing difficulties and suffocation had been admitted to hospitals in the governorate for urgent medical attention, many of them women and children. WHO officials said it was in continuous contact with health partners in Idleb to monitor health impact and needs, and was working with cross-border partners to reduce morbidity and save lives.

Noting that the capacity of hospitals in the surrounding area was limited, especially as a number of facilities have been damaged as a result of the ongoing conflict, the statement said. (UNI)