Troubles continue to befall Syria.
After nearly 12 years of war that destroyed the country, an economic crisis that led to poverty and hunger, and the COVID-19 pandemic, now the country is confronted with cholera.
The disease first broke out in early September in the Deir ez-Zor district of eastern Syria. The location is not accidental as the area depends on the waters of the Euphrates River. The use of contaminated water for drinking and irrigating crops by the residents of the area, who lack access to clean water, is what led to the outbreak of the disease. Since then, cases of infection have been reported in other cities, including Raqqa and Hasakah, as well as in areas under the control of the Assad regime, and especially in Aleppo, where hundreds of cases have been confirmed. According to the latest estimates, there are at least 2,000 patients. This figure should be taken with a grain of salt, since in accordance with the best dictatorial tradition, the Syrian authorities are careful to hide the official data regarding the extent of the contamination, in part by imposing a ban on the entry of media into the government hospitals.
This time as well, dealing with the infectious disease will not be easy, since Syria is suffering from a severe shortage of potable water due to the climate crisis. In addition, some point the finger of blame at Turkey, charging that it deliberately caused the level of the Euphrates River to drop, thus leading to the contamination of the drinking water. The war has destroyed over 50 percent of the country's infrastructure, including water pumps and desalination plants. In the absence of a real ability by the central regime to deal with the situation, the World Health Organization transferred 30 tons of medical equipment to Syria, and will subsequently deliver more aid.
Similar to the spread of the coronavirus, the grave concern is the outbreak of a cholera epidemic in the crowded displaced persons camps in the Idlib district in the northwest, and no less, the spread of the disease to neighboring countries.
Troubles continue to befall Syria.
After nearly 12 years of war that destroyed the country, an economic crisis that led to poverty and hunger, and the COVID-19 pandemic, now the country is confronted with cholera.
The disease first broke out in early September in the Deir ez-Zor district of eastern Syria. The location is not accidental as the area depends on the waters of the Euphrates River. The use of contaminated water for drinking and irrigating crops by the residents of the area, who lack access to clean water, is what led to the outbreak of the disease. Since then, cases of infection have been reported in other cities, including Raqqa and Hasakah, as well as in areas under the control of the Assad regime, and especially in Aleppo, where hundreds of cases have been confirmed. According to the latest estimates, there are at least 2,000 patients. This figure should be taken with a grain of salt, since in accordance with the best dictatorial tradition, the Syrian authorities are careful to hide the official data regarding the extent of the contamination, in part by imposing a ban on the entry of media into the government hospitals.
This time as well, dealing with the infectious disease will not be easy, since Syria is suffering from a severe shortage of potable water due to the climate crisis. In addition, some point the finger of blame at Turkey, charging that it deliberately caused the level of the Euphrates River to drop, thus leading to the contamination of the drinking water. The war has destroyed over 50 percent of the country's infrastructure, including water pumps and desalination plants. In the absence of a real ability by the central regime to deal with the situation, the World Health Organization transferred 30 tons of medical equipment to Syria, and will subsequently deliver more aid.
Similar to the spread of the coronavirus, the grave concern is the outbreak of a cholera epidemic in the crowded displaced persons camps in the Idlib district in the northwest, and no less, the spread of the disease to neighboring countries.