ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A major cholera outbreak in Syria has left seven dead and infected dozens as it spreads across provinces, the health ministry said on Tuesday.
The ministry confirmed 53 cholera infections and seven deaths reported across five Syrian provinces.
The outbreak is linked to the use and consumption of unsafe water, contaminated due to the destruction of Syria’s national water infrastructure after 11 years of civil war.
Aleppo is the leading city in the number of infections and deaths, according to the statement.
The cases are the first to be reported in Syria in over a decade as the last cases were reported in the country in 2009, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The United Nations on Monday expressed concern over the cholera epidemic, saying it presents “a serious threat to people in Syria and the region,” and urging swift actions to be taken to prevent further infections and fatalities.
Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by eating or drinking food or water that is contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera, WHO says. It causes vomiting and diarrhea.
An outbreak of the virus hit neighboring Iraq this summer.
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