Lebanon, cholera cases are on the rise: so far 20 deaths, 80 in neighboring Syria, over 14,000 people vaccinated in 5 days

ROME – The latest data bring to 20 the number of victims of the cholera epidemic which has hit Lebanon since the beginning of October and which has had its point of contagion in neighboring Syria, a country at war for 11 years, where cholera has so far killed about 80 people. There have been 560 cases of infection registered in Lebanon so far. While in Syria, where the epidemic broke out at the end of August, two weeks ago the UN reported 80 deaths and around 20,000 suspected cases of infection. In Lebanon, cholera has not struck since 1993, immediately after the end of the civil war (1975-90). The first cases reported this fall appeared in camps for Syrian refugees in the north-east of the country. Other infections were then recorded in other communities in the most depressed areas of the country, which have been grappling with the worst financial crisis in its history for three years.

The home-to-home teams. Now, faced with all this, in just 5 days, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in collaboration with the ministry of health has vaccinated over 14,000 people against cholera. MSF teams are active in the north and north-east of the country, in Arsal, Akkar, Tripoli and Balbaak-Hemel, where there is a higher incidence of cases. Lebanon has received 600,000 doses of cholera vaccine in an initial procurement phase, to be managed in coordination with various international and local actors. “We started vaccinations about a week ago and have already vaccinated 14,224 people – says Caline Rehayem, MSF medical coordinator in Lebanon – our teams are moving from house to house, in shops and refugee camps to reach people to be vaccinated and to raise awareness of the importance of vaccination against a disease that is highly transmissible”.

The vaccination campaign aimed at Lebanese and refugees. After the first case of cholera was registered in the country in 30 years on 6 October, 19 people have died and the number of confirmed and suspected cases has risen to 3,671. MSF’s vaccination campaign is aimed at the Lebanese population and refugees who live in conditions of poverty or overcrowding and who are therefore more exposed to the risk of contagion. “Improving cholera prevention measures is essential to effectively curb the epidemic, and the vaccine is one of the most important elements,” says Marcelo Fernandez, MSF head of mission in Lebanon. “But if people aren’t given access to clean water and sanitation, we expect cholera and other waterborne diseases to resurface.”

Not only vaccines, also medical assistance. In addition to administering cholera vaccines, MSF also provides medical assistance. In the Bekaa Valley area (Bar Elias and Arsal), MSF runs two cholera treatment centers with a maximum capacity of 70 beds. Rehydration points have been set up in Tripoli and Arsal for people who do not need hospitalization. In addition to carrying out awareness-raising activities and distributing hygiene kits for personal and household hygiene in Bekaa Valley, Bar Elias, Akkar, Baalbak-Hermel and Arsal, MSF provides training to Lebanese health workers on the treatment of cholera patients .

Doctors Without Borders in Lebanon. The medical-humanitarian organization – Nobel Peace Prize winner – has been working in Lebanon since 1976 after the outbreak of the civil war and has been permanently present in the country since 2008. MSF provides free medical care to vulnerable communities across the country, whether they are Lebanese, refugees or migrants. MSF teams are present in different areas of the country, including the Bekaa Valley, Akkar and South Beirut, providing mental health and sexual and reproductive health services, pediatric care, vaccinations and treatments for chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. Approximately 150,000 medical consultations are carried out each year.