A man receives treatment for cholera in Lebanon's northern Akkar governorate in October 2022. (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Lebanon on Friday recorded four new cholera cases but no new deaths in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total to 573 confirmed cases and 20 deaths, the Health Ministry said in its daily report published Friday night.
The cholera outbreak — the country's first since 1993 — began on Oct. 5 when the first case was identified in northern Lebanon.
Meanwhile, the number of hospital beds occupied by patients suffering from or suspected of having contracted the illness decreased, down from 55 to 50, according to the ministry's official report.
Cholera is usually caused by ingesting food or water contaminated with the Vibrio cholerae bacteria, often present in feces. Infected people may suffer acute diarrhea, but the illness can also be asymptomatic.
Caretaker Health Minister Firass Abiad announced Friday that half of those vaccinated against cholera thus far are Lebanese, followed by Syrian and Palestinian nationals.
In a press conference, Abiad said that those vaccinated are "53 percent female and 47 percent male and that the majority of the vaccinated are aged between 5 and 14."
The vaccination campaign continues in targeted regions, including North Lebanon and the Bekaa.
Some 24,353 vaccines were administered between Thursday and Friday, for a total of 189,953 doses since the campaign began last Saturday when the Health Ministry launched a three-week campaign aimed at vaccinating approximately 600,000 people.