How did the war in Syria lead to a rise in cancer rates?
In the southern countryside of Idlib, Adnan Al-Othman worked for years to transport families forced to flee, during the intense bombing campaigns that targeted civilian towns and villages, until his infection with lymphatic cancer occupied him with an “extremely difficult” treatment journey between northwestern Syria and Turkey.
The 23-year-old young man told Asharq Al-Awsat: “All the places I moved to were subjected to severe bombing, such as the towns of Al-Bara, Kafranbel, Idlib, and Kafranbudah. I thought I was capable of dealing with the bombing. I was not afraid of it.” At the time, Adnan did not know whether pollution resulting from the weapons he was familiar with, the “energy drinks” he used to drink, or other factors were the cause of his illness. All he knows is that a year and eight months ago he entered into a new war, different from the one he has been living in since he was eleven years old.
According to data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), at least 4,300 cancer patients reside in Idlib, most of whom suffer from breast and lung cancer, and more than 15 percent of them are children suffering from leukemia.
Syrians stand in solidarity with cancer patients during a sit-in near the Bab al-Hawa border crossing (dpa)
Turkey had stopped allowing the passage of injured people through the referral system, from the Syrian-Turkish border, to receive free treatment in its hospitals, for a period of four months, after the earthquake disaster that struck its southern states and northwestern Syria, and when it continued to receive them, it did not grant permission for the passage of the new injured, who had increased. Their numbers are about 600, between February and July, with a rate of diagnosing three to four cases per day.
Therefore, during the past months, activists worked to raise awareness of the needs and suffering of cancer patients in the region, after their interruption of receiving radiotherapy caused an increase in deaths among them, and they succeeded in convincing the Turkish authorities, on July 26, to allow the passage of the new patients, after their sit-in in front of « Bab al-Hawa border crossing.
Weapon gases and cancer
Cancer rates are higher than they were before the war, and slightly higher than global rates, according to what Dr. Zuhair Qarat, director of the Idlib Health Directorate, confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat, who said that the reasons are attributable to “chemicals, psychological distress and economic conditions.” And gases resulting from weapons,” pointing out that there are no clear studies examining these reasons.
For his part, Ayham Jammo, an oncologist at the governorate hospital supported by the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), says that pollution of the surrounding environment, primitive oil refineries (burners), and smoking are all factors that contribute to the occurrence of cancer.
The Dutch peace organization “PAX” warned of the effects of environmental pollution in Syria as a result of the war, resulting from the work of “burners,” the destruction of industrial areas, and open waste dumps, all of which cause the release of toxic gases, the most prominent results of which are cancer for those exposed to them for a prolonged period. .
While the British organization Action on Armed Violence (Action Against Armed Violence) pointed out the dangers of the rubble of buildings exposed to bombing and destruction in Syria, and the dangers of explosives and unexploded devices that contain toxic compounds that infiltrate the surrounding environment, affect human health and raise the risk of cancer.
Dr. said. Jammo told Asharq Al-Awsat that the way to prevent cancer is to stay away from polluting factors as much as possible, and to rely on healthy, complete food, and that “anyone who feels unexplained symptoms for a prolonged period should consult a doctor, especially for those whose families have a history of infection; Because early detection is beneficial in treating cancer and increases cure rates.”
A sit-in near the Bab al-Hawa crossing in northwestern Syria to demand acceptance of cancer treatment in Turkey (dpa)
Gradual support
Every week, between 90 and 100 cancer patients cross to Turkey to receive radiotherapy after the first phase of the campaign to support cancer patients. The second phase, which included collecting donations exceeding half a million dollars, allowed for the distribution of sums of money to patients.
Firas Mansour, director of the medical office at the Emergency Response Organization, confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that work is underway to secure the necessary medicines to treat nine types of tumors, and provide them free of charge to patients in northwestern Syria. In his opinion, people with cancer “are the least likely to receive care and assistance to achieve psychological and physical comfort, whether the patients are in Turkey or in the camps in northern Syria, so they need special care.”
Recently, Al-Amin Organization for Humanitarian Support was able to introduce the first radiotherapy machine to the northwestern region of Syria, after securing the necessary funding and approvals for its transit from Turkey, which work had begun on since the beginning of the year, and it was “almost impossible,” according to the description of Yasser Al-Tarraf, one of the Organization officials, in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat.
Al-Tarraf said that the device was introduced to reduce the burden on patients who suffer from financial costs and psychological and physical fatigue. The OCHA report stated that the radiotherapy machine is capable of providing more than 40 sessions per day, and it is expected that this machine will meet the needs of a third of patients in northwestern Syria.
The device is expected to start operating early next year, after preparing the private building for its operation and protection from its radiation effects. Al-Tarraf added that the “Al-Amin Organization” is seeking to bring another body into Idlib, after securing the necessary funding and approvals.
Dr.. Zuhair Al-Qarat, Director of the Health Directorate in Idlib, believes that the treatment needs of 70 percent of patients have been met, but there is still a need to build an integrated treatment center, provide radiotherapy equipment, and provide chemical and immunological treatments.
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2023-11-15 16:14:20
