A man receives treatment for cholera in Lebanon's northern Akkar governorate, Oct. 2022. (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Lebanon recorded 21 additional laboratory-confirmed cholera cases but no new deaths over the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said in its daily report published on Thursday evening.
According to the infographic, the total number of confirmed cholera cases since the onset of the outbreak in early October — the first since 1993 — now stands at 511 while the total number of cases, including those that are suspected but not yet confirmed, stands at 3,160.
A total of 18 people have died from cholera in Lebanon since the outbreak began, with no new deaths recorded for the seventh consecutive day.
Meanwhile, the number of hospital beds occupied by patients suffering from or suspected of having contracted the illness throughout Lebanon continues to decrease, reaching 70, down from 82.
Cholera is usually caused by ingesting food or water contaminated with the Vibrio cholerae bacteria present in feces. Infected people may suffer acute diarrhea but the illness can also be asymptomatic.
Caretaker Health Minister Firass Abiad announced on Thursday that Lebanon had received 600,000 cholera vaccine doses provided by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Abiad said that the vaccines will be stored at the Karantina drug warehouse in preparation for the three-week national vaccination campaign, which will be launched on Saturday. Abiad had previously said that the campaign will allow the vaccination of "70 percent of the targeted population in the most vulnerable areas."