The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Monday that a deadly cholera outbreak was “rapidly” spreading across Lebanon, exacerbated by a lingering economic crisis and crumbling infrastructure.

Lebanon’s first cholera outbreak in decades began earlier this month after the viral disease spread from neighboring Syria.

“The situation in Lebanon is volatile as the country is already grappling with other crises compounded by a prolonged political and economic deterioration,” said Abdinasir Abubakar, the WHO representative in Lebanon.

More than 1,400 suspected cases have been reported in Lebanon since Oct. 5, including 381 confirmed cases and 17 deaths, the WHO said in a statement.

While the outbreak was initially confined to the impoverished north, it “quickly spread” across Lebanon, it added.

The WHO said it had helped the country struggle to obtain 600,000 doses of the vaccine, and efforts to secure more “are ongoing given the rapid spread of the outbreak.”

Cholera is usually contracted through contaminated food or water and causes diarrhea and vomiting. It can also spread in residential areas that lack proper sewage networks or potable water.

The outbreak in Lebanon follows a recent wave in Syria, where more than a decade of war has damaged nearly two-thirds of water treatment facilities, half of pumping stations and one-third of water towers, according to the United Nations. .

The Euphrates River, which was contaminated with sewage, is believed to be the source of Syria’s first major cholera outbreak since 2009.

The strain of cholera identified in Lebanon is “similar to the one circulating in Syria,” the WHO said.

Lebanese authorities said most of the cases were among Syrian refugees.

Lebanon hosts more than a million Syrian refugees, many already suffering from poverty before entering Lebanon economic collapse started three years ago.

“The vulnerability of people in Lebanon is getting worse over time economic conditions and limited access to clean water and proper sanitation throughout the country,” WHO said.

Frequent and prolonged blackouts in Lebanon have disrupted operations water pumping stations and sewage networks.

According to the WHO, cholera can be fatal within hours if left untreated, but many of those infected will have no or mild symptoms.

The disease affects between 1.3 and four million people worldwide each year, killing between 21,000 and 143,000.

© 2022 AFP