The Director of the Directorate of Infectious and Chronic Diseases in the Ministry of Health in the Assad regime, Zuhair Al-Sahwi, confirmed that the cholera vaccine is not available in Syria.
Yesterday, Athar Press website quoted Al-Sahwi as saying that the effectiveness of the vaccine does not exceed 50%, and that "the only solution to prevent cholera infection is to adhere to public health behaviors, eat safe food, drink water from a safe source, and wash your hands well."
He added that there are many suspected cases of cholera, but they have not been diagnosed with the disease, most notably "intestinal disorders as a result of fluctuations in weather and temperature differences."
In turn, Doctors Without Borders, working in the medical field, revealed in a report that cholera is spreading among the most vulnerable groups throughout Syria.
According to the report, the regions of northeastern and northwestern Syria are facing an outbreak of cholera due to water pollution and severe water shortages.
The report noted that local and international humanitarian organizations are trying to fill the gaps to respond to the many needs, but public access to adequate and clean water remains a worrisome problem, noting that work with other local organizations to disinfect water trucks with chlorine.
The international organization stressed the need to raise awareness of the causes of the spread of cholera and how to treat it.
In turn, the United Nations warned of the high rates of cholera infection in Syria in conjunction with the severe water shortage, due to the low level of the Euphrates River, drought and the destruction of water infrastructure.