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Faced with cholera, Syrian refugees in Lebanon

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Lebanon recorded its first case of cholera in early October – the first in 30 years – and now has at least 220 cases and five deaths.

Syrian refugees in displaced persons camps are victims of a cholera outbreak in Lebanon, where economic collapse has severely limited access to clean water and strained hospitals.

Lebanon recorded its first case of cholera in early October — a return of the bacterium to the country for the first time in 30 years. It now counts at least 220 cases and five deaths.

According to the World Health Organization, Lebanon is in the latest phase of an outbreak that began in Afghanistan in June — then spread to Pakistan, Iran, Iraq and Syria.

In Syria itself, there have been at least 13,000 suspected cases, including six deaths, according to the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) office in Syria.

Dirty water

Cholera is usually spread by contaminated water, contaminated food or sewage. It can cause severe diarrhea and dehydration which can lead to death if not treated in time.

The World Health Organization says refugee camps are “a typical area at risk” given the lack of access to clean water and sanitation.

Most cholera cases in Lebanon have been recorded in the camps, among the roughly one million Syrians who have fled there in the past decade to escape the war in their homeland, according to Acting Health Minister Firas Abyad.

He said that the economic crisis that has been going on for three years is partly responsible for this. The water in Lebanon’s public mains, not just in the camps, is not fit for drinking without treatment — but with public coffers dried up by the recession, there is not enough fuel to run government water stations.

Their stagnant water is easily contaminated while households face shortages, Abiad said.

Syrian refugees in Lebanon depend on UN agencies and international non-governmental organizations for regular water trucking to fill tanks outside their tents and to empty sewage containers.

But residents in the Idris camp in Koum Elias say these services are becoming increasingly scarce, fueling fears of overcrowding.

“When the sewage tanks overflowed in the past, dirty water flooded the camp,” said Amal, a Syrian woman who lives in the camp.

“If there isn’t already cholera in this camp, I’m sure we’ll get it in no time.

Seven cases have been identified in the area of ​​Qub Elash, but the Ministry of Health has not specified how many of them occurred in Syrians and which camps have been affected.

Most refugees who spoke to Reuters said they were buying bottled water. But with prices skyrocketing due to hyperinflation, this may soon become too expensive.

WHO country director Abdinassir Abubakar told Reuters that cholera was a “very high risk” for Lebanon and that its spread to other countries was likely.

“Now it affects more Syrian refugees but sooner or later we will see more cases for Lebanon,” Abubakar said. “No one is safe unless everyone is safe.”

newsSkai.gr

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