The Perils of Chemical Warfare
The international community is at a cross roads. Syria has been plagued with a civil war since the Arab Spring in 2011. Since then, the country has witnessed mass killings and serious destruction to infrastructure and is showing no signs of slowing down. Unfortunately, as is the case in all wars, many of the casualties have been the innocent, leaving them to implore the international community for intervention. There have been many attempts to intervene but global politics have put up obstacles making it difficult for help to reach. As a result of this counterproductive strategy, the situation in Syria has only worsened. With the death toll at 470,000 already, Syria has become a serious global health crisis. The introduction of chemical warfare begins a new chapter of this terrible conflict.
Chemical warfare is the utilization of the toxic properties of a chemical agent as a means to inflict harm on another person. The latest wave of chemical warfare in the Syrian civil war took place only a few days ago. Reports are that the nerve agent sarin was released into a town in the Idlib province, causing a total of 73 deaths with this number rising. Sarin works by attacking the nervous system, it blocks an enzyme that aids in the breakdown of acetylcholine after it has been released into the synaptic cleft. This leads to a loss of control in breathing functions leading the victim to die of asphyxiation. Unfortunately, the plight of children is worse than adults when it comes to chemical warfare. The fact that children are smaller means that they inhale more chemicals per unit mass and hence have a more potent concentration in their bodies. This leads to a faster buildup of fluid in the child’s lungs leaving them with less time to get treatment. Compounding this problem is the fact that children have a less mature immune system– meaning their body’s response is also weaker– leaving them comparatively defenseless to the damage that the chemical causes. If against all odds a child does manage to survive the attack, their future will continue to be impacted by the event. Chemical poisoning such as with sarin gas leads to gross motor disability later on in the child’s life, leaving them with trouble walking, balancing and many other such activities that require hand eye coordination. Though an agreement known as the Chemical Weapons Convention was signed in 1993 which outlaws the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons, the people of Syria continue to suffer.
The war has crippled the healthcare system, undoing decades of progress and plunging the Syrian people into a basically non-existent health care system that is becoming increasingly dependent on aid and assistance from charitable organizations. The international community looks on, stuck between a rock and a hard place as they contemplate whether to involve themselves in an issue that has political nuances that many find difficult to understand and navigate, yet paints a scenario that is desperate for help. One thing is for sure, the people of Syria are facing a serious global health crisis, meaning some serious intervention will be needed soon, regardless of where it comes from. Let’s hope that amends can be made and that the suffering will stop in the near future.