A spokesperson of the Iraqi Health Ministry, Saif Al-Badr, confirmed on Saturday that more than 500 patients are suffering from breathing difficulties as a result of the dust storm taking over the country. 

Al-Badr told Iraqi News Agency (INA), "More than 515 patients were admitted to hospitals in Baghdad and the provinces with breathing problems of varying severity due to the dust storm that occurred yesterday [Friday] in the regions of the country," adding that they did receive sufficient medical care and most had been discharged. 

As of yet, no casualties have been reported and ambulances remain on standby to deliver aid to those who need it. Dust storms and sand storms are not strangers to Iraq, as they regularly occur in the region and have been known to cause serious health issues.

The most recent powerful sand storm took place in May 2022 in Iraq that left 5,000 people reporting respiratory symptoms such as choking, and one casualty was reported. 

Although dust storms are not alien to Iraq when spring and summer roll around, meteorologists expect them to become more frequent "due to drought, desertification, and declining rainfall," the director of Iraq's meteorological office, Amer Al-Jabri, said back in April. 

The country is ranked as one of the world's five most vulnerable nations to climate change and desertification.  

It is noteworthy that the Iraqi Environment Ministry has warned that over the next two decades, Iraq could endure an average of 272 days of sandstorms per year, rising to above 300 by 2050. 

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