Syrian cholera outbreak could cause “international threat”

A cholera outbreak in Syria could create an “international threat”a medical non-government organisation (NGO) has warned.
Related Article: ‘Patients not prisoners’: Palliative care nursing behind bars
A breakout of the water-borne intestinal disease has occurred in Syria, with one child already dead, and it could spread quickly due to the country’s problematic medical infrastructure and lack of aid, Dr Ahmad Tarakji, president of the Syrian American Medical Society (Sams) told The Independent.
He said: “It spreads so easily. People are being displaced inside and outside, people are going to Europe.”
Related Article: NHSE confirms dates and eligibility for autumn Covid and flu jabs
Last Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that, in Iraq, 1,811 laboratory confirmed cases have been reported in 15 of the country’s 18 governorates.
The organisation expressed its fear that cholera could spread to neighbouring countries as a consequence of increased population movement due to the religious mass gathering Ashura, which took place on 23 October, and will also be commemorated on 2 December.
Related Article: QICN bids farewell to Dr Crystal Oldman as she retires from CEO role
The international body predicted that approximately US$ 2.8 million is needed to stop the cholera outbreak in Iraq.

See how our symptom tool can help you make better sense of patient presentations
Click here to search a symptom


A cholera outbreak in Syria could create an “international threat” a medical non-government organisation (NGO) has warned