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Growing Cholera Outbreak in Syria Infects Hundreds, 39 Dead

The shadow of a Syrian girl is cast upon a water container at the Sahlah al-Banat camp for displaced people in the countryside of Raqa, in northern Syria, on September 19, 2022. (AFP)
The shadow of a Syrian girl is cast upon a water container at the Sahlah al-Banat camp for displaced people in the countryside of Raqa, in northern Syria, on September 19, 2022. (AFP)
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Growing Cholera Outbreak in Syria Infects Hundreds, 39 Dead

The shadow of a Syrian girl is cast upon a water container at the Sahlah al-Banat camp for displaced people in the countryside of Raqa, in northern Syria, on September 19, 2022. (AFP)
The shadow of a Syrian girl is cast upon a water container at the Sahlah al-Banat camp for displaced people in the countryside of Raqa, in northern Syria, on September 19, 2022. (AFP)

A deadly cholera outbreak in Syria has killed at least 39 people and infected hundreds more this past month, health officials said Wednesday, raising concerns about whether the war-torn country can put a stop to its spread.

The UN and Syria’s Health Ministry have said the source of the outbreak is believed to be linked to people drinking unsafe water from the Euphrates River and using contaminated water to irrigate crops, resulting in food contamination.

The outbreak hit government-held parts of the country as well as the areas in the northeast. Syria's health services have suffered heavily from its yearslong war and much of the country is short on cleaning water supplies.

In government-held areas, the Health Ministry reported 23 deaths, 20 of them in the northern province of Aleppo in addition to at least 253 cases.

In areas of northeast Syria controlled by US-backed Kurdish-led fighters, Jwan Mustafa, the top health official in the region reported 16 deaths since Sept. 5, and 2,867 suspected cases of cholera. In the opposition-held northwest, the first case was reported this week.

The cholera outbreak is the first in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011. The war has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced half the country’s pre-war population, many of whom now live in crowded tent settlements.

"A new epidemic looms over the lives of people throughout Syria as cholera threatens to spread throughout the country," said Sherine Ibrahim, CARE Turkey Country Director. Ibrahim added that many of those living in camps for displaced people lack "water, sanitation and basic health and hygiene services."

Mustafa, the health official speaking in the northern town of Qamishli, said the main cause of the outbreak is the presence of vibrio cholerae in the Euphrates River where water levels have dropped.

Ahmed Al-Mandhari, the World Health Organization’s regional director, told The Associated Press on Monday that a plane carrying medical supplies to deal with the spread of cholera landed in the capital Damascus on Monday and another one was expected on Wednesday.

Al-Mandhari added that Syrian health authorities are coordinating with the international organization to contain the outbreak calling it a threat to Syria, the region and the whole world.

The cases were reported in several provinces, including Aleppo and Raqqa in the north, Latakia on the Mediterranean coast, and Deir Ezzor along the border with Iraq.

"The outbreak of cholera threatens more misery on hundreds of thousands of Syrians already at risk from hunger, conflict and the coming winter," Tanya Evans, the International Rescue Committee’s country Director in Syria, said. "Across the country some 70% of the population now need help to meet their basic survival needs."

The Syrian Health Ministry advised people to make sure they drink water coming from "a secure source" and if that is not available people should boil water then preserve it in a clean and closed gallon container.

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Aoun Wants Formation of ‘Consensual’ Lebanese Govt Representing All Components

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
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Aoun Wants Formation of ‘Consensual’ Lebanese Govt Representing All Components

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is advocating the formation of a government of “consensus” that includes representatives from all political factions.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam has requested that parliamentary blocs submit non-partisan nominees for ministerial positions, emphasizing that they must not belong to any political party.

Aoun stressed on Tuesday that all components of society have the right to be represented in the government, parliament and public administration, as this is already practiced in the army.

“We have significant opportunities that we hope to seize by uniting all elements of Lebanese society—civil, spiritual, and political. Together, we can rebuild our nation,” he declared.

Highlighting the importance of meeting international expectations, Aoun hoped for the rapid formation of a government to achieve political, economic, and security stability, which would allow citizens “to live with dignity, not merely in relative comfort.”

During meetings with professional delegations at the Presidential Palace, Aoun said: “We are at a crossroads. Either we take advantage of the current circumstances and rise above sectarian, religious, and political divisions, or we head in a different direction and bear full responsibility for failing to fulfill our duties.”

Negotiations between Aoun, Salam, and political factions over the formation of a government are ongoing. The discussions, which kicked off last week, have reportedly made progress, with efforts directed toward expediting the government formation process, issuing decrees, preparing a ministerial statement, and securing its vote of confidence from lawmakers.

While the Shiite duo of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement appear to have finalized their proposed nominees for the government, disagreements over the ministerial statement remain.

MP Waddah Sadek, who is backed by the opposition, firmly rejected the inclusion of the “Army, People, Resistance” term in the statement. He declared: “No ‘blocking third’ in the government, and no unconstitutional gimmicks. The slogan of the new phase in Lebanon should be: the ‘Army, People, and State.’”

The Kataeb Party echoed this stance, stressing that Lebanon, emerging from a devastating war between Hezbollah and Israel, must align with the Aoun’s inaugural speech and Salam’s remarks by ensuring the ministerial statement exclusively underscores the state’s monopoly over arms and the defense of the nation.

“The government must act decisively, dismantle militias, strictly enforce the ceasefire, and uphold its provisions across all Lebanese territory,” it demanded.

The Kataeb Party also urged Aoun and Salam to resist the “great extortion” by Hezbollah and Amal to secure specific ministries or positions, in violation of the inaugural speech, calling instead for the application of uniform standards to ensure the government’s success.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah adopted a more confrontational tone.

MP Hussein Hajj Hassan, a member of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, commented: “To those betting on Hezbollah’s weakness or the weakness of the Hezbollah-Amal alliance, what will you say when the government is formed? What will you say when you realize the strength of Hezbollah, the alliance, and the resistance’s supporters across all segments of Lebanese society? What will you say when you see the unwavering determination and unity of the resistance at every critical juncture?”