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 "Delays often happen due to operational and/or security reasons but
details are not to be shared," WHO spokesman Tarik Jašarević said in
an email on Tuesday.
In a statement this week, the WHO said 240,000 medical treatments
from it and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent were being held in a
warehouse in the government-held part of the city, Syria's biggest,
"for further distribution to the targeted areas, which will begin
shortly".
On Dec. 22, the WHO said it had received a promise to be allowed to
deliver aid to rebel-held parts of Aleppo, which it planned to
transport within the week, and also to the besieged districts of
Mouadamiya, in Damascus, and Eastern Ghouta, outside the capital.
The non-governmental Union of Syrian Medical Relief Organisations,
made up of Syrian doctors, says cholera, typhoid, scabies and
tuberculosis are spreading among the 360,000 people in rebel-held
Aleppo for lack of treatments or vaccines. The area is cut off on
three sides by the Syrian army.
All sides in Syria's three-year civil war have prevented medical
supplies crossing front lines, fearing they could be used to help
wounded enemy fighters.
The WHO says surgical supplies such as syringes and bandages have
previously been removed from convoys at checkpoints run by the
security forces.
Syrian officials could not be reached for comment on Wednesday or
Thursday. Damascus denies blocking aid.
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Jašarević said vaccines and syringes had been delivered to Eastern
Ghouta, the first "complete package" to that area by the WHO in more
than two years. It did not give an update on Mouadamiya.
The United Nations says at least 212,000 people remain besieged,
mostly by the government, but also by insurgents.
More than 200,000 people have been killed in Syria's conflict, which
began in March 2011 with popular protests against President Bashar
al-Assad and spiralled into civil war after a crackdown by security
forces.
(Editing by Kevin Liffey)
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