Lebanese caretaker Health Minister Firass Abiad warned that cholera could become “endemic” in Lebanon if the country fails to curb the spread of its infection, local media reported.

During a visit to public hospitals in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, Mr Abiad urged Lebanon to grasp the “golden opportunity” to stop the transmission, as “the epidemic is still in its infancy and can be stopped.”

He added that the health ministry has been monitoring preparedness work in securing enough hospital beds for a possible surge in cholera inpatients.

He warned that the epidemic would impact Lebanon’s health sector, agri-products exports, and tourism.

WHO published a fact sheet on cholera in March, saying a cholera-endemic area is where confirmed cholera cases were detected during the last three years with evidence of local transmission, meaning the cases are not imported from elsewhere.

The ministry’s updated Cholera Surveillance Report on Saturday showed that the country logged 10 new confirmed cases and one new death, bringing the respective totals to 381 and 17.

WHO also said in its report that on October 6, the Lebanese Health Ministry notified it of two lab culture-confirmed cholera cases reported from the northern part of the country, representing the first cholera outbreak in Lebanon since 1993. 

(Xinhua/NAN)