Chemical attack in Syria: “Children are the first victims”

The toll is heavy, very heavy. Massive chemical attacks left at least 75 suffocating deaths and 400 victims, in all likelihood, from a toxic gas bombardment dropped Tuesday morning at 6:50 a.m. in the village of Khan Sheikhoun in the south of the Idlib region (Syria). ).

And the Syrians’ ordeal did not stop there. The Khan Sheikhoun white helmet center, as well as the Al-Rahme hospital, were also affected by a chemical attack. As condemnations multiply in the international community, doctors also voice their revolt.

A hellish routine

This is the case, for example, of those of the Union of Relief and Medical Care Organizations (UOSSM) who, in a press release, recall that this new attack only confirms a dramatic situation.

In their report Syrian hospitals surveillance study recently published, these practitioners indicated that 107 hospitals in northern and southern Syria have been hit by airstrikes at least once since 2016 – some up to 25 times. Contacted by Why actor, the Dr Raphaël Pitti, emergency doctor specializing in war medicine, recounts the attack of April 4. This war doctor has trained 8,000 Syrian healthcare workers since 2012.

Is the chemical attack confirmed?
Dr Raphaël Pitti : Our network of nursing staff on site is very important. When we talk to them and watch all of the videos, we have all the clinical signs of organophosphate poisoning, and in particular sarin gas (GB). The symptoms are mainly retracted pupils and breathing problems associated with a major congestion, with convulsions and abdominal pain. These are all characteristics of exposure to nerve agents.

Why do we see so many images of children?
Dr Raphaël Pitti : Because of the relationship between the toxic dosage and the measurements (weight / height) of the victims, children are more severely affected. For an adult, we find ourselves around 1 mg per kg of weight, while in children we are between 0.3 and 0.5 per kg of weight. This is why out of the 75 dead, there are 25 children.

How did the care go?
Dr Raphaël Pitti : The problem is that healthcare workers have been overwhelmed by the influx of victims. They are still in large numbers today. In addition, not all affected people were decontaminated by a shower before entering the hospital. And the nursing staff did not have enough protective clothing to take care of these patients. So much so that many were in turn infected in a secondary way.
Finally, it should be remembered that Syrian hospitals are lacking in all. They do not have sufficient means of oxygenation, ventilation incubation, as well as the drugs that are used as antidote (atropine, valium …).