Two million Iraqi children at risk of disease and poor nutrition

As many as two million Iraqi children remain at risk of both disease and poor nutrition as a result of ongoing volatility in the country, according to a leading aid organisation.

The United Nation's children's fund, UNICEF, has warned of the continuing problems caused by insecurity and displacement affecting children's access to essential services.

Despite this, UNICEF special representative for Iraq, Roger Wright, has now called for immediate action to remedy the situation, claiming there has been a gradual improvement over the course of 2007.

"While we have been providing as much assistance as possible, a new window of opportunity is opening, which should enable us to reach the most vulnerable with expanded, consistent support," he explained. "We must act now."

According to figures provided by UNICEF, only 20 per cent of children living outside the Iraqi capital Baghdad have working sewerage in their community.

However, UNICEF also highlighted the effectiveness of immunisation programmes it had carried out in association with the World Health Organization this year, with four million protected against polio and three million immunised against measles, mumps and rubella.

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