Lebanon has reported widespread cholera among Syrian refugees in the country, Anadolu News Agency reports.
Health Minister, Firas Abiad, said 80 new cases of cholera were recorded in Lebanon, taking the nationwide tally to 169.
“Five people have, so far, died from the illness,” he added at a press conference in the capital, Beirut.
“A total of 70 per cent of the cholera infections in Lebanon are among Syrian refugees,” the Minister said.
Lebanon reported its first case of cholera on 6 October in the northern Akkar province.
Lebanon hosts around 1.5 million Syrian refugees, about 900,000 of whom are registered with UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Most of the refugees suffer from tough living conditions, especially with the exacerbation of the Lebanese economic crisis on one hand and the global economic crisis on the other.