WHO warns of high risk of cholera outbreak in Lebanon amid conflict, mass displacement

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a warning that the risk of cholera spreading in Lebanon is “very high” after a case was detected in the conflict-hit country.

This is particularly concerning given the hundreds of thousands of people displaced due to the escalation of violence between Israel and Hezbollah.

The WHO’s representative in Lebanon, Abdinasir Abubakar, highlighted the risk of rapid spread among displaced populations, stating that if the outbreak spreads to newly displaced people, “it might spread very fast.”

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The Lebanese health ministry confirmed a cholera case in a national who was hospitalized with watery diarrhea and dehydration, with no history of travel, which suggests local transmission.

Lebanon’s healthcare system is already fragile due to the raging attacks by Israel, a three-year financial crisis and the 2020 Beirut port explosion, making it challenging to respond to a cholera outbreak.

The country hosts a large number of refugees, including 1.5 million Syrians and 13,715 refugees of other nationalities, who are particularly vulnerable due to inadequate access to safe water and sanitation.

Meanwhile, a UN official has mourned Lebanese members of a relief team who died in a “devastating” Israeli strike on the southern city of Nabatiyeh that killed 16 people according to authorities.

“This morning a devastating attack claimed the lives of yet more civilians and local authorities working to provide relief,” said the UN humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon, Imran Riza.