The Epidemic Early Warning and Response Network in Syria announced yesterday, Monday, the recording of 8 new cases of cholera, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 1,085 cases, in addition to more suspected cases in areas of northwestern Syria, which are under the control of opposition factions.
The network concerned with surveillance and control of epidemiological diseases added that 465 suspected cases of cholera were documented last Saturday, bringing the total number of suspected cases to 148,037 cases.
Cholera is an acute infection that causes diarrhea and results from eating food or drinking water contaminated with bacteria. The disease remains a global public health threat and an indicator of inequality and lack of social development, according to the World Health Organization.
In a previous report, the Syrian Civil Defense Foundation warned of the increasing spread of cholera in the northwestern regions of Syria, which would threaten the lives of the region’s residents, due to weak infrastructure, the exhaustion of the medical sector and the loss of the necessities of life.
The Civil Defense explained that the region and the camps are living in bad conditions due to the long years of war with the Assad regime and Russia, and the suffering increased by the February 6 earthquake that struck the region, amid an inability to provide assistance to those in need.
For his part, nurse Safwan Al-Saloum, who works at Idlib Central Hospital, told Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed that he fears a further spread of the disease amid the difficult humanitarian conditions that residents in the region are experiencing.
He pointed out that the scarcity of water sources, the lack of means of prevention, open sanitation, and the cessation of the entry of international humanitarian aid across the border, due to the Russian “veto,” are all factors that increase the spread and exacerbation of the disease.
He pointed out the necessity of working hard to eliminate the causes of the cholera outbreak through united local and international efforts, which would contain, recede and limit the disease.
Doctors Without Borders announced earlier that the northwestern and eastern regions of Syria face the risk of a cholera outbreak, and that contaminated water, a severe lack of humanitarian response, and other reasons threaten the spread of the disease throughout Syria.
Thousands in the northwestern regions of Syria were exposed to cholera, which caused the death of dozens, in light of the weak health infrastructure and the inability of local administrations and organizations to stop its spread, especially in displacement camps that lack hygiene conditions.
Since September 2022, Syria has witnessed an outbreak of cholera in several Syrian governorates, for the first time since 2009, and the disease usually appears in residential areas that suffer from a scarcity of drinking water or lack sewage networks.
2023-09-26 08:33:20
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