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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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Former Regime Elements, Drug Traffickers Targeted in Western Homs and Damascus Campaigns

The Anti-Narcotics Department seizes a drug depot belonging to Maher al-Assad in the Sabura area in the Damascus countryside (Ministry of Interior).
The Anti-Narcotics Department seizes a drug depot belonging to Maher al-Assad in the Sabura area in the Damascus countryside (Ministry of Interior).
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Former Regime Elements, Drug Traffickers Targeted in Western Homs and Damascus Campaigns

The Anti-Narcotics Department seizes a drug depot belonging to Maher al-Assad in the Sabura area in the Damascus countryside (Ministry of Interior).
The Anti-Narcotics Department seizes a drug depot belonging to Maher al-Assad in the Sabura area in the Damascus countryside (Ministry of Interior).

The Syrian Military Operations Administration has been pressing its security campaigns aimed at disarming former regime militia remnants and combating drug traffickers across Syria.

On Tuesday, for the third time, the administration, in collaboration with the General Security Directorate, launched a large-scale operation in western rural Homs. The campaign focused on the villages of Jabbourin Rafain, Al-Haysa, Jabbourin, Qaniyat Al-Assi, Tasnin, Kafrnan, Akrad Al-Dasniya, and their surroundings. Simultaneous campaigns were conducted in Aleppo’s Nairab district, Jaramana in the Damascus countryside, and northern Daraa.

Security sources said the operation in rural Homs targets “remnants of Assad militias who refused to surrender their weapons, arms depots, drug dealers, and traffickers,” according to an official statement from the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). Military reinforcements were dispatched to support the campaign in the targeted areas.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the operation in the village of Jabbourin in rural Hama marked the second such operation within a week. The observatory noted that several civilians and military personnel, including those who had reconciled with the government, were arrested. Some detainees were later released, while others remain under investigation.

Residents in rural Homs expressed significant concern about the proliferation of weapons, incidents of abductions, and the escalating fear of retribution. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, they noted a prevailing sense of unease and insecurity, as anonymous actors exploit the current chaos to fuel tensions and instability.

The General Security Directorate in Homs has urged residents in western rural Homs villages and towns to fully cooperate with its forces and the Military Operations Administration to ensure the success of the campaign’s objectives.

In Daraa, southern Syria, the Daraa 24 network reported that the General Security Directorate carried out a raid in the city of Izraa, north of Daraa. During the operation, large quantities of weapons were seized, and warnings were issued to individuals still in possession of firearms to surrender them “to preserve the region’s security and stability.”

An earlier security operation in the Lajat region, located between the Suwayda and Daraa governorates, resulted in the arrest of 18 individuals described as former regime remnants, drug traffickers, and arms dealers. The Syrian Interior Ministry also announced the arrest of “remnant elements and members of a gang involved in the theft of weapons from a warehouse in the Mazraa project area of Damascus.”

Meanwhile, the General Security Directorate released several former regime elements in Damascus after verifying their lack of involvement in violations against the Syrian people. According to local sources cited by Syrian Television, several conscripts detained in Adra Prison in Damascus were freed on Tuesday, with additional releases expected in the coming days.

Last week, the General Security Directorate released 360 detainees, including former regime officers, out of approximately 800 people arrested as part of the Homs security campaign. Following investigations, the authorities confirmed that those individuals were not in possession of weapons and had pledged not to engage in activities against the new Syrian administration.