Published : 01-10-2022
The Assistance Coordination Unit warned of the spread of cholera in northwestern Syria, as a result of malnutrition and poor immunity, especially among vulnerable people sheltered in substandard facilities.
Director of the Unit’s vaccination program Muhammad Salem attributed the disease propagation in Syria to the absence of healthcare and poor infrastructure as a result of the conflict.
He expressed fear that cholera will turn into an endemic in a country where the infrastructure, health care facilities, and vital services have been ravaged.
The Unit called on Syrian authorities to increase water supplies in the region and provide vulnerable families with potable water to help them combat the deadly virus.
Last month, the UN humanitarian relief coordinator for the country warned that the official declaration of a cholera outbreak in the Aleppo region of Syria represents a serious threat to people in Syria and the whole Middle East region.
AGPS has also called a swift and urgent action to prevent further illness and death. UN agencies and non-governmental organizations partners should coordinate with health authorities to ensure a timely and effective response.
The outbreak was declared on 10 September by the Syrian Ministry of Health, following 15 confirmed laboratory cases, including one patient death. A total of 936 cases of severe acute watery diarrhoea were reported between 25 August and 10 September, which led to at least eight deaths.
The outbreak is an indicator of severe shortages of water throughout Syria, an issue AGPS has been sounding alarm bells on for some time.
While the Euphrates levels were dropping with drought-like conditions and a national water infrastructure damaged by 11 years of war, much of the already vulnerable population of Syria is reliant on unsafe water sources, which may lead to the spread of dangerous water-borne diseases, particularly among children.
Water shortages are forcing households to resort to negative coping mechanisms, such as changing hygiene practices or increasing household debt to afford water costs.
AGPS data indicates that 15 residents of AlNeirab Camp for Palestinian refugees, in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo, caught cholera.
The Assistance Coordination Unit warned of the spread of cholera in northwestern Syria, as a result of malnutrition and poor immunity, especially among vulnerable people sheltered in substandard facilities.
Director of the Unit’s vaccination program Muhammad Salem attributed the disease propagation in Syria to the absence of healthcare and poor infrastructure as a result of the conflict.
He expressed fear that cholera will turn into an endemic in a country where the infrastructure, health care facilities, and vital services have been ravaged.
The Unit called on Syrian authorities to increase water supplies in the region and provide vulnerable families with potable water to help them combat the deadly virus.
Last month, the UN humanitarian relief coordinator for the country warned that the official declaration of a cholera outbreak in the Aleppo region of Syria represents a serious threat to people in Syria and the whole Middle East region.
AGPS has also called a swift and urgent action to prevent further illness and death. UN agencies and non-governmental organizations partners should coordinate with health authorities to ensure a timely and effective response.
The outbreak was declared on 10 September by the Syrian Ministry of Health, following 15 confirmed laboratory cases, including one patient death. A total of 936 cases of severe acute watery diarrhoea were reported between 25 August and 10 September, which led to at least eight deaths.
The outbreak is an indicator of severe shortages of water throughout Syria, an issue AGPS has been sounding alarm bells on for some time.
While the Euphrates levels were dropping with drought-like conditions and a national water infrastructure damaged by 11 years of war, much of the already vulnerable population of Syria is reliant on unsafe water sources, which may lead to the spread of dangerous water-borne diseases, particularly among children.
Water shortages are forcing households to resort to negative coping mechanisms, such as changing hygiene practices or increasing household debt to afford water costs.
AGPS data indicates that 15 residents of AlNeirab Camp for Palestinian refugees, in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo, caught cholera.
