Syria Witnesses Dangerous Rise in Cholera Deaths, Warnings of Catastrophe in North

Arab World

January 18th, 8:09am

Idlib - Firas Karam

A child receives treatment at a hospital in Idlib. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Local organizations and health authorities on Tuesday sounded the alarm about the unprecedented increase in the number of deaths from cholera reported in northwestern Syria in recent days. Concerns are also mounting over the spread of the disease in camps for the displaced. More than half a million displaced living in Atmeh, which includes dozens of camps for displaced Syrians near the Syrian-Turkish border, have expressed fear over a cholera outbreak due to the lack of health services. “The displaced people are extremely afraid and anxious after six deaths from cholera were reported, and more than 50 cases were suspected a few days ago,” said Ahmed Al-Ali, director of one of the Atmeh camps. He explained that all efforts exerted by the health teams and the Syrian Civil Defense to spread awareness among the displaced to take preventive measures will not work as long as bathrooms are shared, tents are overcrowded and the sewages are exposed. “The only solution to avoid a terrible humanitarian catastrophe is to provide vaccines as quickly as possible and to provide sufficient clean water and detergents for families, and to provide medical centers to treat the infected” Al-Ali said. Meanwhile, the Syrian Civil Defense Organization in northwestern Syria said 20 deaths from cholera were recently recorded in the country’s northwestern Idlib and Aleppo countryside, while the number of infections climbed to 555. Syria’s Response Coordinators Group, a non-profit organization in northwestern Syria, said the number of suspected cholera cases in the camps has topped 6,893, including at least nine deaths. The Group added that children and young people are the most affected. The Idlib Health Directorate said Tuesday, that “a batch of cholera vaccines provided by UNICEF and the Global Alliance for Vaccines (GAVI) will arrive to northern Syria in the next two days. In a statement, the Directorate said the batch consists of 1,702,000 doses of the Oral Cholera Vaccine. The vaccines will be distributed in the regions crowded with camps, including Sarmada, Dana, Atmeh, and Maarat Misrin in the Idlib countryside, and Azaz district in the Aleppo countryside. “As of January 14, 2023, the northwestern region of Syria recorded more than 37,500 cases of cholera, including 6,000 in January alone,” the Directorate revealed. The region registered 20 deaths from the disease, signaling that the epidemic is still largely spread.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/4104841/syria-witnesses-dangerous-rise-cholera-deaths-warnings-catastrophe-north