Cholera, hepatitis hit Lebanon already grappling with financial meltdown

BEIRUT: Lebanese health authorities fear that the country could be hit by its first cholera epidemic in nearly three decades after the confirmation of two cases close to the Syrian border.
A Syrian in his 50s, who lives in a refugee camp, and a Lebanese woman caring for him were this week confirmed to have the disease in Akkar. The Syrian, whose infection was recorded on Oct. 5, was said to be stable in hospital while the woman was with her family and stable.
Health Ministry officials said that they had also recorded multiple cases of diarrhea in Akkar, which has poor sanitation services and a population swelled by refugees, and tests are ongoing to check whether any of the sufferers have cholera.
Meanwhile, three to five daily cases of hepatitis are being recorded among villagers in the northern region of Danniyeh.
The last cholera epidemic in Lebanon was recorded in 1993 and led to several deaths. Its re-emergence comes amid an outbreak in Syria, with thousands of cases in the past month.
Firas Abiad, Lebanon’s caretaker health minister, said that he expected cases to rise due to the outbreak across the border.
However he noted that cases were “still limited,” and that medicine was available. He stressed that Lebanon was coordinating with the World Health Organization, while his ministry was examining sewage water and instructing hospitals to report any patient with symptoms.
Dr. Abdul Rahman Bizri, an MP and bacteriologist, told Arab News that Lebanon’s weakened state left it vulnerable to mass infection.
“Hepatitis and cholera will spread in Lebanon as a result of the collapse of state institutions, the lack of maintenance of sewage and sewers, and electricity and water cuts,” he said.
“The Syrian patient refrained from saying how he contracted the disease. We don’t know if he was in Syria illegally and returned to Lebanon. If this is the case, it is easy to contain the disease.
“But if the cause is contaminated water, many others could contract the disease, especially since state institutions and municipalities are not carrying out their duties in terms of ensuring water safety and isolating sewage.
“Hepatitis and cholera outbreaks are a symbol of the state’s failure and we are paying the price.”
The threat of disease adds to problems faced by a country already suffering financial collapse.
Lebanese banks on Friday closed after an unprecedented wave of holdups by savers trying to access their frozen accounts.
Branches had been open only a few days since the last closure two weeks ago, in response to armed intruders threatening employees to get their money.
Banks have now threatened to close their doors indefinitely and their services will be limited to ATMs. An appointment-only system failed to stop the holdups.
Lebanese are also worried about the security situation, as negotiations stall in a US-mediated maritime deal with Israel over the extraction of gas and oil from the disputed Karish field.
Israel Hayom, an Israeli newspaper, reported that authorities were preparing to begin tests “possibly early next week.”
Lebanon is opposed to drilling. During the Friday sermon, Hezbollah’s Shoura Council Sheikh, Mohammed Yazbek, said: “Our response is clear. Oil shall not be extracted from the Karish field before Lebanon’s demands are met. We don’t want war, but we will be ready for it should it happen.”
The US mediation has not ended despite the Israeli refusal to consider Lebanon’s proposed amendments to the deal.