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Syria’s White Helmets: Cholera deaths rise to 22

March 1, 2023 at 12:17 pm

A Syrian refugee child is seen in a tent as cholera spreads [Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu Agency]

Two people have died of cholera in Syria’s opposition-held northwest in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that hit the area, a source from the rescue force that operates there told Reuters yesterday.

The earthquake left more than 4,000 people dead in the opposition-controlled zone near the Turkish border and damaged fragile health and water infrastructure, prompting fears of a spike in cases of the disease.

The opposition-run civil defence, known as the White Helmets, said that the total number of cholera deaths recorded in the northwest since the outbreak began last year had risen to 22, with another 568 non-fatal cases reported.

“The #earthquake has caused significant damage to infrastructure, water and sewage lines, increasing the risk of a disease outbreak,” the White Helmets said in a tweet.

A report by the United Nations Security Council last week said the ongoing outbreak had been worsened by “severe shortages” of clean water across the country.

First linked in September 2022 to contaminated water near the Euphrates River, the outbreak spread across various areas of control in the nation fractured by more than a decade of war.

READ: US House condemns Syria regime for exploiting earthquake disaster