Syria raises death toll from cholera outbreak to seven

Sep. 14 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Syrian authorities have raised this Wednesday to seven the number of deaths due to the cholera outbreak decreed on Sunday, most of them in the province of Aleppo, located in the north of the country.

“The total number of deaths from cholera has increased to seven,” said the Syrian Ministry of Health, which has detailed that four people have died in Aleppo, to which two deaths are added in Deir Ezzor and one in Hasaka.

He also pointed out that so far 53 cases have been confirmed in the country, including 22 in Aleppo, according to the Syrian state news agency, SANA. Behind are Hasaka, with thirteen cases; Deir Ezzor, with ten; Latakia, with six; and Damascus, with two.

In this sense, it has stated that “it is carrying out epidemiological surveillance 24 hours a day and adopting appropriate measures to control it, in cooperation with the corresponding authorities.”

“There is a treatment available and an additional supply of it has been given to hospitals in anticipation of any increase in the number of cases, limited so far,” he argued.

Finally, the Ministry of Health has highlighted that it will publish “an update on the epidemiological situation” every 48 hours in order to “facilitate obtaining information through a confirmed and exclusive source.”

The UN humanitarian coordinator for Syria, Imran Riza, expressed his “great concern” on Tuesday about the cholera outbreak and stressed that it is a sign of the scarcity of water in the country due to a decrease in the waters of the Euphrates, drought-like conditions in some areas and the destruction of infrastructure due to the conflict that broke out in 2011.

For this reason, he confirmed the launch of a health response, led by the Syrian Ministry of Health and with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), to deal with the crisis.

Rizo also warned that the outbreak poses “a serious threat” to the Syrian population and the region and asked donor countries for urgent funding to contain the outbreak and prevent its spread, as well as “sustained and unrestricted” access to affected communities.