Cholera continues to spread silently in the Lebanese regions, from Akkar to Arsal, especially in the geographical areas where displacement and hosting communities overlap; There, the number of injuries rises daily, the latest of which is a child, the death of a child no more than five months old. But the greatest fear of the disease is the possible and rapid spread of the disease, in light of the lack of funding solutions in the field of providing clean water and treating polluted water, especially in northern Lebanon.
No one would have heard people’s cries and their pain had it not been for “the moose reaching the throats of officials”, and the announcement of the expected cases of cholera, according to experts and doctors.
After Lebanon eliminated the disease In 1993, the flagrant pollution, the neglect of officials in their national duties, the mixing of drinking water and domestic service with sewage… and the total absence of any refinery plant in the Akkar governorate (created) an “ideal” environment for the rejuvenation of the disease.
It is also not surprising that the solutions offered are “prosthetic”, although we do not have the luxury of time, and it is feared that the epidemic will be difficult to contain when it spreads.
in the frame, Caretaker Minister of Health Firas Al-Abyad admitted that “there is no time to repair the water and sewage networks. Therefore, we distribute disinfectants for water, work to secure the cholera vaccine, and prepare the health system with tests, isolation of cases, primary care, and preparation of hospitals.”
Of course, the political forces participating in power, and successive governments that were talking about achievements in infrastructure, and even development institutions, were selling us illusions, and no one is holding them accountable!
Yesterday, 5 new cases of cholera were recorded, and other regions joined the list of areas that the epidemic entered, bringing the total of cases to 34 so far. But doctors and experts expect the number of infections to rise, and they fear the spread, especially since the injuries are spread in overcrowded areas, where the minimum health standards are lacking.
It also seems remarkable that 38% of the injuries belong to the age group between 0 and 4 years, followed by the age group between 45-65 with 24%, which makes the two groups the most vulnerable social groups, and vulnerable to complications of severe dehydration.
It draws the attention of officials that the injuries are no longer confined to one geographical area, but rather come from geographically dispersed villages and towns, including refugee camps; This fact reveals that the disease is witnessing a widespread outbreak.
Director of Al-Rassi Governmental Hospital, Dr. Mahmoud Khadrin, confirms to Al-Nahar that “there are 20 cases that are being followed up in the hospital, between suspects and confirmed, and they are of different ages. But two of the cases are in intensive care, while the other cases are in stable conditions, with the record that the hospital has arrived To its maximum capacity, the Ministry of Health has designated a government hospital in Benin and Tripoli to receive the new cases.”
The town of Muhammarah – Al-Abdah has joined the list of areas where cholera has infiltrated, with two cases recorded so far, according to the report of the Ministry of Health. “Day”.
In his opinion, “what is happening today is media talk and theorizing, and the reality on the ground lacks a clear plan or strategy to address the problem. I have not been notified from any official body concerned of any action plan that will be adopted to confront cholera. Only the media follows the issue.”
What is remarkable, according to Othman, is that “the injured continue their lives normally and normally without any isolation or special procedures. There is no action plan to raise awareness, follow up on the injured, or direct them to know how to deal with this disease. The population of Muhammarah is approximately 20,000, not to mention the Nahr al-Bared camp. which has a population of approximately 40,000.
Regarding the quality of water consumed in the area, Othman points out that “the economic crisis has prompted people to abandon buying clean water, so they turned to the water channels that pass near their residence to save. But the problem is that these canals suffer from many problems, and there are many violations of them, which lead to It means that it is unsafe and polluted water.”
Osman warns of The country is on a healthy “hand of a demon”, and the indicators are not reassuring, and what increases these fears is the application of the #Corona experience to the cholera epidemic. The policy of the ostrich and lack of intimidation may lead to a disaster and a frightening spread. It is true that infections are still limited, but the rapid spread of this infection brings us back to the bad scenario with the beginning of the Corona virus.
Rafic Hariri Governmental Hospital is preparing to receive cholera patients who need medical care, and it will be among the nine hospitals that the Ministry of Health seeks to equip in preparation for facing the additional numbers that the country may witness in the coming weeks.
Bacterial disease specialist Dr. Pierre Abi Hanna explains that “in developed countries that have safe water and good sanitation, some cases of cholera will not be a cause for concern and fear, because they are able to control it. But we are in Lebanon, especially in refugee camps and overcrowded places, and with the reduction of The amount of clean water that reaches homes from international organizations, and the absence of refining plants, we can talk about the overlap of sewage and drinking water, and thus the re-spread of the cholera epidemic.”
Regarding the cases that require hospitalization, Abi Hanna asserts that “80 percent of cholera cases are without symptoms, while some suffer from mild symptoms; The disruption of the main organs of the body within a few hours, which may cause death. Therefore, we ask people who suffer from severe diarrhea, dry skin, great thirst … and have health problems to go to the hospital and not delay in seeking medical care.”
He explains that “the treatment of cholera is by giving the patient the amount of fluid he lost as soon as possible, through oral serums, if the disease situation is not advanced, provided that it is under the supervision of a specialist to determine the amount that the patient needs to compensate for this deficiency. But the patient may sometimes be unable to take it.” The serum is administered orally, so it is resorted to administering the serum intravenously.
Abi Hanna points out that “some types of antibiotics help reduce symptoms by 50 percent, and we are waiting for the transplant results from the Ministry of Health to know which type of antibiotics can be used to treat cholera patients.”
As for the oral vaccine, Abi Hanna asserts that it “is able to reduce the risk of infection and reduce the risk of symptoms in case of infection. Therefore, its benefits are many, including limiting the spread of the epidemic, so it must be given in places where cholera can spread.” However, as it has been said, we are witnessing a global shortage of cholera vaccine, but the Ministry of Health is seeking to secure an oral vaccine that may help control the epidemic.”