After Arsal in northern Bekaa, Bekaa Governor Kamel Abu Joudeh announced in a statement yesterday the emergence of a confirmed case of "cholera" in a camp for Syrian refugees in the town of Qab Elias in central Bekaa, raising the total number of positive cases in the Bekaa region to five, with each case in a separate camp. According to the mayor of Qab Elias, Jihad Al-Muallem, the confirmed infection this time concerns a woman living with her family of ten in a small gathering in the camp known as "Camp 014". It appears she had visited relatives in the Akkar region before being identified epidemiologically.
Al-Muallem pointed out that the municipality of Qab Elias contacted the camp leaders in the town upon being informed of the infection, as they are closest to the residents of the camps and understand their conditions. The municipality requested them to report any suspected cases of diarrhea among the displaced persons, while confirming that the infected woman has been isolated in her tent and instructed not to leave.
However, the danger of the emergence of cholera cases in refugee camps lies in the fact that the infected individuals are isolated with family members who do not show symptoms or are suspected of having the disease, as was the case with the infected woman in Qab Elias and her ten family members. If these individuals have no other place to go, they remain within the circle of infection as long as they interact with the infected individuals and share cramped tents with their latrines. Meanwhile, Al-Muallem mentioned that he is in contact with international organizations, including UNICEF and UNHCR, to prepare an emergency team with the Ministry of Health, which has sent a medical envoy to prepare a report on which medical teams from supporting agencies will act over the next week.
