The emergence of dozens of cases of viral hepatitis (jaundice), commonly known as "yellowing" in the Dahr al-Mghar area of Qubba - Tripoli and other regions is still unfolding. The state's response, along with the Ministry of Public Health and the Tripoli municipality, has been below the necessary level. The Ministry of Public Health, in its statement regarding the issue, indicated that it is "waiting for the results of laboratory tests conducted by the North Lebanon Water Authority on the water until they are released to take necessary action." Subsequently, the North Lebanon Water Authority announced in its statement that "the water that reaches homes through the authority is clean and free from any bacterial contaminants, and it is suitable for drinking and household use."
Suleiman Mohsen from Tala't al-Omari, a father of children infected with jaundice, told "Nidaa Al-Watan": "When my children fell ill, I couldn't find any hospital that would accept them, neither the public hospital nor private hospitals." He added, "At the Islamic Hospital, they asked me for a thousand US dollars immediately upon admission, and I'm a daily worker (furniture installer) who sometimes doesn't work, and I don't have that amount. At Al-Mazloom Hospital, I had to pay more than two and a half million for tests for the children."
In response to the water authority's statement, Mohsen stated: "The authority only took a water sample from Dahr al-Mghar, and we are from Tala't al-Omari; the water authority has not reached us and has not conducted any tests. I do not know the source of the infection, whether it is the water or another reason, and the state must determine the cause and do what is necessary. There are also reports that a school in Qubba has several cases."
Mohsen confirmed that no entity has contacted them, not even the Tripoli municipality, except for a delegation from the "Together" association affiliated with "Hezbollah" that offered assistance in this matter. For his part, a medical source in the North speculated to "Nidaa Al-Watan" that the water may be the cause, suggesting that "either the water reaching homes through the water authority or the water purchased from stores, where companies reduce the purification and sterilization materials to save costs." The source added, "There remains a need for more care, prevention, and awareness-raising, as this disease does not warrant the extreme panic that is occurring."
Tripoli is currently experiencing a deterioration in state services and institutions, declining municipal performance, and the municipality’s inaction, alongside water outages in neighborhoods and electricity cuts, along with a spread of waste and foul odors. Given the severe and suffocating economic crisis faced by families in the city and their inability to ensure necessary care, there is widespread concern about the emergence of more diseases and epidemics in the coming period.
