Cholera outbreaks status in Syria and Lebanon

Devastated by more than 10 years of war, Syria has been experiencing a cholera outbreak since the end of August. It has killed more than 60 people. This acute diarrheal infection has also reappeared in Lebanon, which is undermined by a serious economic and financial crisis: on Wednesday, October 12, the Lebanese ministry of health announced one death, a few days after the first patients were identified. The water infrastructure in these two neighboring countries is struggling, destroyed, or dysfunctional.

In Syria, the outbreak is attributed to the consumption of polluted water and the irrigation of fields by contaminated springs in the northeast, the agricultural region. With the neighboring region of Aleppo, it is one of the most affected areas.

This health crisis started six weeks ago and during this period more than 13,000 suspected cases of cholera have been recorded in the country by the World Health Organization (WHO). “The infections are another emergency in the context of a serious humanitarian crisis,” said Dr. Hossam Faysal, a regional manager with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which has stepped up its action (prevention, funds, training, etc.) in the country.

The diarrheal disease is now also present in Lebanon

In Lebanon, cholera has been diagnosed in rural areas bordering Syria. The resurgence of the disease, after nearly 30 years of absence, is “probably due to population movements,” according to Alissar Rady, head of the WHO technical team in Lebanon. Analyses are underway to trace the origin of the strain. People still travel between the two countries, although far fewer trips are made than before 2011 when the war in Syria began. While only about 20 cases have been reported so far, “Lebanon is at high risk of the spread of cholera and acute diarrheal diseases,” Ms. Rady warned.