Six governorates in Syria have recorded cases of cholera for the first time in more than a decade, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, reporting 23 deaths linked to this disease in the country.
“The epidemic is currently affecting six governorates, namely Aleppo, Hassakah, Deir EZ-Zor, Latakia, Damascus and Homs,” said the UN Health Agency in a statement, noting that the origin of the reappearance of cases of Infection is thought to be linked to drinking water from untreated sources or eating contaminated food. “According to a count made on September 20, cholera has already claimed 23 lives and infected 253 people,” WHO spokesperson Fadela Chaib told a regular UN press conference in Geneva.
With a capacity to cover 2,000 severe cases and 190,000 mild cases, a shipment of WHO drugs and supplies landed at Damascus airport on Monday from their logistics hub in Dubai, before being distributed to health facilities in northeast Syria, with a view to halting the spread of infections.
The cargo contained cholera supplies, oral rehydration solution, medicines, rapid cholera tests and chlorine tablets for water purification.
Cholera is a diarrheal infection that can cause life-threatening dehydration. It is contracted by the absorption of contaminated water or food products.