Cholera in Lebanon: nearly twenty cases identified in less than a week

Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad speaks during a press conference on the first case of cholera, in Beirut, Friday, October 7, 2022. AP - Hussein Malla

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After Syria, 18 cases of cholera have been identified in Lebanon in less than a week.

Officials fear an explosion of the disease, at a time when the country in crisis does not have the means to fight against a possible epidemic.

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With our correspondent in Beirut,

Fourteen cases of cholera have been detected in recent days in northern Lebanon, and four others were identified on Monday in the eastern Bekaa plain.

Faced with the multiplication of cases, hospitals in northern Lebanon have put their medical staff on alert, and have begun to stockpile remedies to fight against this disease.

On tour in the region on Sunday October 9, the Minister of Health Firas Abiad expressed concern about the deterioration of " 

 " in the areas of health and hygiene.

Sectors hard hit by the crisis that has hit the country for four years.

Due to a lack of electricity, many water pumping stations are no longer operational.

The minister urged the authorities to provide electric power to the water filtering and treatment station in Tripoli, Lebanon's second city, in the north.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati must convene a crisis unit these hours to assess the gravity of the situation and take the necessary measures to contain the disease.

Cholera cases have been identified in areas bordering Syria, where 40 people have died from the disease and 600 others have been infected since early September.

►Read also: The economic crisis in Lebanon is pushing many candidates for illegal emigration

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• Lebanon

• Health and medicine

• Najib Mikati