The announcement by Firas Abyad, the Lebanese Minister of Health under the caretaker administration, brought the total number of cases officially reported to 169, and the number of deaths to 5.
According to the National Media Agency, White addressed the reality of the accelerated cholera outbreak in Lebanon during a press conference at the Ministry of Health, stating that the disease is spreading to new areas like Zgharta, Zahleh, the monsters of the princes, the dumb of Elias, and Antinen Al-Tahta, Bashra, and Qalqaat.
The Minister of Health indicated that one of the reasons for the spread of cholera infection is due to “polluted water, where the tests conducted by the Ministry of Public Health recorded many polluted water sources, including what is used in some camps or homes, as well as pollution in the water of springs, including the spring of Rihaniya in The north and the spring of Ain Faour in Benin.
Added he, “The consumption of contaminated veggies also aids in the cholera epidemic.
It has been demonstrated to the Ministry of Public Health that there are numerous sources of contaminated water used to irrigate vegetables, including the Benin River in Akkar.
If the patient doesn’t thoroughly sterilise his hands before using the mixture, the infection risk increases.
Abyad stressed “the need to secure clean water as a basic factor that helps reduce the spread of cholera”, pointing to the efforts made by the Ministry of Health in cooperation with the Ministry of Energy and Water, noting that “UNICEF has secured about 100 thousand liters of diesel for use in operating pumping stations To lessen the load of contaminated water, several filthy water refinery stations are located in the northern regions, the northern Bekaa, the Bekaa, and other nearby areas.
Abyad explained that “stagnation of water for long periods in these stations as a result of the long interruption of the electrical current from the stations may expose them to pollution, which may contribute to spreading diseases when re -pumped to users. ”
The Minister of Public Health declared that chlorine had been adequately secured for all pumping stations in collaboration with UNICEF, but that securing electricity for the stations is necessary to reap their benefits.
Additionally, he mentioned several initiatives being undertaken with foreign partners to secure chlorine for use in homes and water transport tanks in order to sterilise water, noting that 4 million and 800,000 packages will be given out gratis in the regions where the epidemic is spreading in the coming days.
Following Syria, the cholera is rapidly spreading in Lebanon and perplexing the Ministry of Health.
About Author
