Health Officials Fear Cholera Outbreak In Basra

BASRA, IRAQ - MAY 8: Iraqis collect drinking water from a tanker truck May 8, 2003 in Basra, Iraq. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned today of a possible cholera epidemic in this southern Iraqi city after 17 suspected cases were reported at two hospitals. Coalition air strikes disrupted electrical power to the water treatment plant during the war, causing widespread water outages for weeks in the city of 2 million. Residents were forced to collect untreated drinking water from the Shatt al-Arab river or steal water from working pipelines. (Photo by Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images)