The Health Emergency Program in the Ministry of Public Health announced the "end of the cholera outbreak in Lebanon" in a statement detailing the measures taken to combat the epidemic, resulting in no confirmed cases of the disease since the end of February. The statement reads: "As Lebanon experienced a cholera outbreak that lasted several months, the Ministry of Public Health, under the direct guidance of the Minister of Public Health, unified efforts and necessary actions to combat this epidemic in cooperation with all concerned parties and ministries, particularly the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organization for Migration, and the Lebanese Society for Infectious Diseases, through the following:
- Defining suspected and confirmed cases, managing and treating them.
- Daily monitoring of suspected and confirmed cases registered in Lebanon and tracking contacts.
- Preparing government hospitals to receive cases.
- Following up on cholera patients in hospitals and disposing of liquid waste in proper sanitary ways.
- Conducting periodic tests of drinking water and water for use in various Lebanese regions.
- Monitoring the presence of cholera bacteria in wastewater in Lebanon, especially in areas with the highest rates of infection.
- Vaccination against cholera.
- Coordinating the outbreak response among all parties, ministries, and international organizations.
- Conducting awareness seminars in cooperation with the Lebanese Red Cross on methods to combat the disease (disinfecting water, vegetables, and fruits with chlorine, proper disposal of liquid waste).
- Other activities such as providing rapid laboratory tests, necessary serum treatments, antibiotics, and dedicated beds for cholera patients.
The statement added: "As these efforts resulted in no confirmed cases of cholera since the end of February 2023, this indicates more than 12 weeks have passed since the last confirmed case in Lebanon. Since the World Health Organization recommends declaring the end of the outbreak after at least 4 weeks have passed since the last confirmed laboratory case, and based on the opinion of the National Committee for Infectious Diseases, the Ministry of Public Health announces the end of the cholera epidemic in Lebanon starting from the date of this statement. The ministry will continue to monitor acute watery diarrhea closely through active surveillance and will intensify awareness campaigns against acute watery diarrhea in cooperation with relevant parties, especially in the most susceptible areas to infection."
The ministry expressed its gratitude to "all ministries, parties, and concerned entities, especially international organizations that participated and supported the ministry during the outbreak, which positively reflected on the speed and effectiveness of the response."
