Nurse Amir Rashid at a cholera ward in Bebnine, Akkar governorate, with a young patient. (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Lebanon on Tuesday recorded one new cholera case and one new death in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases and deaths to 653 and 23, respectively, the Health Ministry said in its daily report published on Tuesday evening.
The Health Ministry did not publish the number of people who were vaccinated against cholera on Tuesday. The latest published number stood at 2,770, bringing the total number of people vaccinated since the beginning of a vaccination campaign on Nov. 12. to 479,688, as per Monday's report.
Lebanon is suffering from its first cholera outbreak since 1993. The first case of the disease was detected on Oct. 5.
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.