The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced 12 new patients infected with cholera in the past 24 hours, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed cases to 239, with 3 recent deaths recorded, increasing the cumulative number of deaths to 10, an Arab paper reported.
The ministry mapped out the spread of infections to Lebanese towns and villages, showing the trail of the epidemic in the north (Akkar, Minieh – Dinniyeh, Tripoli and Zgharta), the Bekaa (Baalbek and Zahle) and incoming cases to Mount Lebanon (Kesrouan, Baabda and Matn) and the south (Sidon).
The Parliamentary Health Committee leader, MP Bilal Abdullah, was quoted saying that cholera “has turned into an epidemic and has put constituents in a position of imminent danger if cases multiply”. The MP also noted that the hospital situation is unable to receive all cases because cholera cases multiply more than coronavirus infections. He added that officials of relevant ministries will begin a series of meetings with the Minister of Health to contain the epidemic.
The head of the infectious diseases department at St. George Hospital, Eid Azar, said that in the event of cholera outbreaks in cities and between homes, it will be a challenge to control the epidemic, pointing out that managing the coronavirus disease requires less effort than cholera. He also revealed that the death rate from cholera is five per thousand, explaining that this means there are at least 800 or 900 cases of cholera. The specialist also said that one case of cholera in an area means that there is a spread, pointing out that there is no room for one person infected with cholera in one area.
He also stressed that the country is long overdue to containment, due to open crossings, inefficient infrastructure, administrative negligence, adding that measures to control the spread include testing, tracing, treating, isolating and examining every case of diarrhea, as well as the periodic examination of water sources and sewage tracking and isolation. Azar said that this is an issue that needs national planning.
