Cholera threatens the lives of children in Lebanon and Syria

Cholera is spreading widely in Syria and Lebanon, which raises concerns about its reach and transmission to other countries. It is not a new disease, but it affects the lives of children and adults. It is worth noting that malnourished children are more likely to contract cholera.

The spread of this bacteria threatens the public health of countries with fragile systems and broken economies. The governments of those countries cannot implement solutions or help their people with prevention.

They say “knowing the problem is half the solution”, so what is cholera?

It is called “Vibrio cholera”, to denote the form of the bacterium, which takes the form of Vibrio in the Arabic language under a microscope.

As for bacteria, it is a single metal disease that causes severe diarrhea and dehydration and can cause death if not treated. It comes because food and water are contaminated and consumed by humans that contain cholera bacteria.

There is a possibility that cholera began in the Indian subcontinent and spread from there to the world.

Cholera in numbers in Syria and Lebanon

The cholera situation in Syria has evolved, as more than 75 cholera-related cases have died since its inception and until the UNICEF report on October 24. There are also more than 20,000 suspected cases of acute watery diarrhea. In Lebanon, cholera cases reached 448 and killed 10 in two weeks. Neighboring regions and countries of Lebanon and Syria suffer from a high level of acute watery diarrhea and are at risk of cholera entry.

What are the causes ?

As mentioned earlier, cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholera.

 Where do we find these bacteria, and how do we catch them?

Cholera bacteria secrete a toxin into the small intestine, causing the body to excrete large amounts of water. This large excretion of water induces diarrhea, which affects the body to quickly lose fluids and salts.

Not everyone who carries the cholera bacteria gets sick, but the bacteria is transmitted through feces.

Contaminated water is one of the major causes . Where do we find cholera bacteria?

-Drinking polluted and unclean water.

– Fruits and vegetables irrigated with water contaminated with human excrement.

-Raw or undercooked seafood caught from water contaminated with sewage.

We conclude that water contaminated with sewage is what causes this disease. It is worth noting that some people are exposed more than others, and it threatens their lives, especially children’s life.

Lack of stomach acidity in malnourished people makes them more vulnerable than other children and adults. In addition to people with blood type O have more susceptibility than others. Finally, weak immunity also causes the risk of infection and threatens the health of children and their families.

How do we protect children?

You can keep your children safe by providing clean water for use and drinking.

However, the hard financial and economic conditions and the difficulty of living for many poor and needy families lead them to use the available water, which is often not suitable for drinking or use.

Therefore, these families must be helped by providing them with clean water and cleaning materials. So that they overcome this deadly disease for themselves and their children.

Governments in all countries must also provide clean water to their citizens and establish sanitation networks to protect children and their families from any diseases that could kill their lives.

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