Patients receive treatment in a field hospital in Bebnine, in the northern region of Akkar, on Oct. 25, 2022. (Credit: Michel Hallak/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Lebanon recorded 41 new cholera cases and three deaths in 24 hours, bringing the total to 346 confirmed cases and 14 deaths, the Ministry of Health announced Wednesday evening in its daily report.
Caretaker Health Minister Firas Abiad called on the Finance Ministry Wednesday to grant public health workers their "promised cash assistance," as Lebanon struggles with a cholera outbreak and a collapsed health sector.
"Public health workers attend their jobs every day, unlike other public workers who only have to attend work once a week," Abiad said during a press conference.
He also said the Health Ministry is offering free lab tests, to detect cholera in water, to all municipalities and that the same should be done at public hospitals.
This is Lebanon's first cholera outbreak since 1993.
Last week, Abiad said he was concerned about the "rapid spread of the disease." He said most of the victims died because they did not receive the necessary medical care.