As of: 11/01/2022 3:51 p.m
The WHO has warned of the spread of cholera in Lebanon. 17 people have already died from the diarrheal disease and hundreds more have become infected. A first batch of vaccines has now arrived.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the dangerous diarrheal disease cholera is spreading in Lebanon. At the beginning of October, the Ministry of Health reported the first cases in almost three decades.
All parts of the country are now affected, with more than 1,400 suspected cases, the WHO reported. 381 were confirmed in the laboratory, 17 people died. The WHO country representative in Lebanon, Abdinasir Abubakar, described the situation as precarious.
Probably imported from Syria
It is the first outbreak of the disease in Lebanon since 1993. The disease was likely brought in from Syria, where there are now around 20,000 suspected cases across the country, said WHO regional emergency director Rick Brennan.
The strain of cholera spreading in Lebanon is very similar to that circulating in Syria, according to the WHO. According to the UN, almost two thirds of the water treatment plants, half of the pumping stations and numerous water towers have been damaged in Syria in the last ten years. The Euphrates River, which is contaminated by sewage, is suspected to be the source of the cholera outbreak in Syria.
Number of outbreaks increased worldwide
The WHO is deeply concerned because the number of cholera outbreaks worldwide has risen sharply this year. She attributes this to floods, droughts, conflicts, population movements and other factors. As a result, many people have no access to clean water and the risk of cholera outbreaks is increasing.
The disease caused by the Vibrio cholerae bacterium can manifest itself in extreme diarrhea and vomiting and, due to the significant loss of fluid, can lead to kidney failure or even death. However, the disease is easily treatable with medication. According to WHO data, between 1.3 and four million people contract cholera every year, and between 21,000 and 143,000 die from it.
First vaccine doses arrived
The WHO supports Lebanon with medical personnel and material as well as laboratory capacities. She conducts training courses in clinics and hospitals so that employees can treat cholera cases properly.
Meanwhile, the first 13,000 doses of vaccine have arrived. According to a report by the Lebanese state news agency NNA, Interim Health Minister Firas Al-Abiad said it was a donation from France. Another delivery of 600,000 vaccine doses is to be made available by the WHO within the next ten days.
The situation is made more difficult because the country has already been hit hard by other crises, including a severe economic and political crisis, according to the WHO. Hospitals sometimes have hardly any electricity and many people have little access to clean drinking water, and wastewater disposal is impaired.