BEIRUT — The Health Ministry announced on Monday that 174 cases of hepatitis have been recorded in Lebanon recently and that it is “doing the necessary investigation to discover the reason why this infectious disease is spreading.”
Here’s what we know:
• "The number of cases of hepatitis A recorded since the start of the spread of the disease amounts to 174," the ministry said in a statement, without giving a specific date for the beginning of the contagion in Lebanon. The ministry also said that a daily report will be published, as is already the case for COVID-19.
• The President of the Order of Physicians in Beirut, Joseph Bakhache said in a press release on Monday that it is a "very contagious disease which, in exceptional cases, could cause a deficiency in the level of activity of the liver.” Bakhache also called on citizens to ensure their hygiene by washing their hands regularly and urged the authorities to start a preventive vaccination campaign, starting with the elderly and those suffering from chronic diseases and health problems.
• On Sunday, the President of the Order of Pharmacists, Joe Salloum, had raised the question of vaccines in a press release published after a tour in Tripoli, following rumors that the city is one of the centers of the disease. He also called on the authorities and drug importers to ensure the vaccine in pharmacies, in order to limit the spread of the disease. According to the World Health Organization, Hepatitis is transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated food and water or through direct bodily contact with the infectious person. Almost everyone recovers from Hepatitis A with a lifelong immunity, according to the WHO.