A man receives treatment for cholera in Lebanon's northern Akkar governorate in October 2022. (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Lebanon recorded 11 new cholera cases, bringing the total number to 532, the Health Ministry said in its daily report published Saturday evening. No new deaths were recorded.
According to the report, 18 people have died since the beginning of the cholera outbreak — the first since 1993 — on Oct. 5.
Meanwhile, the number of hospital beds occupied by patients suffering from or suspected of having contracted the illness throughout Lebanon continues to decrease, reaching 60, down from 62.
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).
A vaccination campaign began Saturday morning in the Bekaa and Akkar governorates, where the illness has been most severe over the last several weeks.