Public health consequences of acute displacement of Iraqi citizens--March-May 1991.

In late March 1991, following military and civil strife in Iraq, approximately 400,000 ethnic Kurds and other Iraqi minority groups sought refuge in rugged mountains on the border of Iraq and Turkey; an additional estimated 1.3 million Iraqi refugees fled to Iran. In contrast to groups affected in other recent refugee emergencies, a large proportion of this displaced population comprised educated urban dwellers. This report describes the major public health consequences of this population displacement and international relief efforts directed toward these problems.