Two people died of cholera Northwest Syria is held by the opposition After a devastating earthquake hit the area, a source from the rescue force operating there told Reuters on Tuesday.
Earthquake left more than 4,000 dead in a rebel-held zone near the Turkish border and damaged a fragile health and water system, raising fears of a spike in cases.
The opposition-run civil defense organization known as the White Helmets said the total number of cholera deaths reported in the northwest since the outbreak began last year has risen to 22, with 568 more non-fatal cases.
LACK OF MEDICAL CARE IN SYRIA AND POOR WATER QUALITY ACCELERATE CHOLERA OUTBREAK
Damaged buildings after the earthquake in Harem, Syria, February 13, 2023. (REUTERS/Mahmoud Hassano)
“The destruction of infrastructure, water and sewer networks after an earthquake increases the likelihood of an outbreak disease“, the White Helmets said in a statement.
A UN Security Council report last week said the ongoing outbreak has been exacerbated by a “severe shortage” of clean water across the country.
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It says Syria’s rainy season has been “unusually dry” and hot.
The outbreak, first linked to contaminated water near the Euphrates River in September 2022, has spread to various controlled areas in a country devastated by more than a decade of war.