Cholera returns to Lebanon, first case reported

The first case of cholera has been recorded in Lebanon since the start of the Israeli attacks, marking a high a serious step backwards, a cause for alarm for the health authorities. The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health confirmed the case, reported two days ago, “after having isolated the cholera bacterium, Vibrio cholerae, type 01” by analyzing clinical and environmental samples collected in “field visits”.

According to the department, the disease was diagnosed in a Lebanese citizen from a village in the Akkar region of northern Lebanon, who was admitted to hospital on October 14 “due to acute watery diarrhea and dehydration.” “The Ministry of Public Health is investigating the case, collecting samples from close contacts and searching for other potential cases in the surrounding area,” the statement said, adding that the investigation also includes “checking water contamination” in the areas of northern Lebanon. Likewise, the department indicated that it will activate the National Cholera Plan to “rapidly” implement containment measures.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned last week of the high risk of epidemics among internally displaced people and the Lebanese population in general due to limited access to essential health services due to the intense Israeli bombing campaign that began at the end of September. These attacks have displaced over 1.2 million people, of whom over 188,000 are overcrowded in centers set up by the Lebanese government in different parts of the country.

In 2023, Lebanon announced the end of the cholera epidemic detected in the country for the first time in 30 years, which caused twenty deaths and thousands of infections at the height of the economic and social crisis which, even before the war with Israel, was putting the Lebanese healthcare system to the test on the brink of collapse.