The Ministry of Health announced Wednesday the closure of a nursery in Kesrwan following the death of a 4-month-old girl. "Following the announcement of the death of a girl in a nursery, a delegation from the ministry, accompanied by the forensic doctor of Kesrwan, immediately went to the site," the ministry stated. Per the directives of the Minister of Health, Rakan Nassereddine, the nursery was notified of its immediate closure."

The ministry specified that Nassereddine forwarded the case to the competent authorities for an investigation to be opened to determine the circumstances of the tragedy.

According to local media, the family of the 4-month-old girl released a statement revealing that the child was transferred from a nursery in Zouk Mosbeh to a hospital, where the emergency doctor confirmed she arrived "without a pulse and blue." Despite 45 minutes of resuscitation attempts, the child could not be saved. "The immediate cause of death, according to the forensic doctor's report, is asphyxiation caused by the reflux of milk and obstruction of the airways," the statement specifies.

This incident occurred last week, the Ministry of Health, in partnership with UNICEF and in collaboration with the American University of Beirut (AUB), launched a "Child Protection Policy in nurseries," a first in Lebanon.