Number Of Confirmed Cholera Cases In Syria Approaching 1,000 - Health Ministry

CAIRO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd October, 2022) There are now almost 1,000 confirmed cholera cases in Syria, while over 40 people have died from the infection, the country's health ministry informs.

Syria declared an outbreak of cholera in Aleppo Governorate in September, with the first cases having emerged in August. The outbreak has since spread to neighboring Lebanon. Over 13,000 suspected cholera cases have been reported across Syria.

"The number of cholera cases confirmed by rapid lab tests has gone up to 942. The number of deaths stands at 44," the Syrian Ministry of Health said on Saturday, adding that 37 fatalities had occurred in the province of Aleppo, which remains a major hotbed of cholera.

Aleppo has registered over 570 cholera cases, while the Syrian capital of Damascus has 14 confirmed cases and one death from the infection.

Earlier this week, Imene Trabelsi, an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) regional spokeswoman for the Near and middle East, told Sputnik that the organization was ready to increase its activities in Syria in order to help the country address the cholera outbreak.

The spokeswoman said that the source of cholera in Syria was believed to be linked to unsafe drinking water and sewage systems, and the use of unclean water for crop irrigation.

Cholera is an acute bacterial infection transmitted through contaminated food or water. Symptoms include severe diarrhea. A person can potentially die from the illness within hours if left untreated, but most people recover after exhibiting only mild symptoms, with the help of oral rehydration solutions.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), each year there are between 1.3 and 4 million cases of cholera worldwide, and between 21,000 and 143,000 deaths from the infection.