Lebanese health minister in the interim government, Firas Al-Abyad, announced on Wednesday a “widespread spread of cholera” in the country, noting that most of the infections were detected “among Syrian refugees”.
And the minister revealed during a press conference held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Health in the capital, Beirut, that an increase in infections has also begun among Lebanese citizens.
He attributed the widespread spread of the disease in the country to frequent power cuts that prevent the arrival of sufficient quantities of clean water in various regions.
“We all know that ensuring clean water is important in preventing the spread of cholera and we are working to do so,” he said.
“The water that remains in the pipes becomes polluted after a while and it is important to secure the electricity for the water pumping stations to provide clean water,” he added.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health revealed today in an official report that cholera cases in the country have risen to 169, after 80 new cases have been registered in the past 48 hours.
– Ministry of Public Health – Lebanon (@mophleb) October 19, 2022
The report also tracked an increase in the number of deaths from cholera infection to 5, after announcing two new deaths in the past two days.
In this context, the Lebanese Minister of Health pointed out that the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has supplied a quantity of diesel used in water pumping stations in the Bekaa and Northern regions, in an attempt to help to get rid of water that could be contaminated and cause an increase in the frequency of accidents.
1/2 Thanks to US government funding, UNICEF provides medical supplies to stem the cholera epidemic #Lebanon including 150,000 oral rehydration salts and 50 cholera treatment kits. These supplies will support the treatment of 5,000 cases of cholera. pic.twitter.com/SZ7WIqdU5K
– UNICEF Lebanon (@UNICEF Lebanon) October 14, 2022
He added that work is currently underway to equip a field hospital in the Arsal area of Baalbek, noting that there are 8 field hospitals ready with therapeutic supplies and vaccines.
However, on the other hand, he stressed that “the quantities of cholera vaccines available globally are low due to the presence of several cholera outbreaks” and stressed that Lebanon had obtained the promise to secure quantities of vaccines.
On 6 October, the Lebanese Ministry of Health announced the registration of the first case of cholera in the country since 1993, in the governorate of Akkar, in the north of the country.
At that time, the Ministry published guidelines for preventing cholera infection and preventing transmission, especially the attention to food and drink cleanliness and personal hygiene.
“I’m looking for mobile teams to get more information about cholera and ways to protect myself and my family from getting cholera,” said Rukaya.
Engaging communities is part of our continuity #cholera answer in #Syria.#ForEveryChild@UNICEFhttps://t.co/pUPLIdBJyA pic.twitter.com/nfWfIpcfKP
– UNICEF in Syria October 19, 2022
According to official estimates, there are 1.8 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, of which only about 880,000 are registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Most Syrian refugees live in poverty and their living conditions have deteriorated as Lebanon has plunged into economic and other energy supply problems since 2019.
The United Nations had warned in early October that the epidemic was “developing alarmingly”.
Neighboring Syria has seen a cholera outbreak in several governorates since last September for the first time since 2009, following damage to about two-thirds of the number of water treatment plants, half of the pumping stations and a third of water tanks due to the ongoing conflict since 2011, according to the United Nations.
The head of the World Health Organization’s Cholera and Diarrheal Disease Epidemic Team, Felipe Barbosa, said there is an “alarming increase” in the disease epidemic worldwide, noting that only during the first 9 months of this year, 26 countries have reported a cholera outbreak with the emergence of a high mortality rate.
And he added in his quoted statements declaration The United Nations “has not only seen more outbreaks this year, but has been bigger and more deadly.”
