a What You Need to Know About the Cholera Outbreak by Francesca Rome-Marie | Dec 1, 2022 | Francesca Rome-Marie, Global Health
On October 6, 2022, the Public Health Ministry of Lebanon noti몭ed WHO about two cholera cases in the northern part of the country, the 몭rst outbreak of the disease in the region since 1993. As of October 13, 18 points and two probable deaths have been con몭rmed. The outbreak could overwhelm the country’s already fragile health system. Here is everything you need to know about the cholera outbreak.
Incident Overview The MoPH noti몭ed WHO about the two cases of cholera, which were con몭rmed by a culture test reported from the Akkar and North regions of Lebanon. One of the patients had been admitted to a hospital on October 1. After a possible link to the outbreak, a 47-year-old health worker was also diagnosed with cholera. This case represents the 몭rst instance of healthcare-associated infection in the outbreak. After the 몭rst two cases were con몭rmed, active case 몭nding in the settlement where the index case resided occurred, which led to the discovery of 10 more cases. On October 9, the positive cultures of cholera were con몭rmed. The bacteria were found in various sources, such as sewage, water, and irrigation. Water samples taken from multiple areas, such as Ain Mraisseh, Mount Lebanon, and the Ghadir station, were also tested