NNA - UNICEF has activated its emergency cholera response along with the Ministry of Health and other partners to help protect children and families by containing the disease, following the confirmation of a cholera case in the Akkar governorate in the north of Lebanon by the Ministry of Public Health.

An integrated multi-sectoral response was immediately launched on Wednesday in high-risk areas to ensure children and families have access to safe water, sanitation, and personal hygiene supplies. UNICEF has: 

- Delivered critical supplies including water purification tablets, disinfection kits, family hygiene kits, and bottled water.

- Disinfected water tanks and increased wastewater desludging in informal settlements.

- Provided additional chlorine stocks to the North Water Establishment to strengthen water treatment processwhile also sustaining the supply of critical equipment, spare parts, repairs, fuel and other consumables to ensure service continuity.

- Supported water establishments with materials for conducting water quality testing.

UNICEF has also procured 100 emergency medication kits including Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) and 22 medical supplies kits that will be prepositioned at designated governmental hospitals to support the treatment and management of around 6,000 cholera cases and symptoms including moderate to severe diarrhoea. 

“UNICEF is making significant efforts to support the Ministry of Public Health’s preparedness, prevention and response measures to help protect all children and families in Lebanon from the spread of cholera,” said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s Representative in Lebanon.

The war is damaging, disrupting and straining water and sanitation services. Limited access to safe water and adequate sanitation, especially in overcrowded displacement sites and camps, increases the risk of cholera spreading. Young children, especially those under the age of 5, children who have never been vaccinated, and those suffering from malnutrition are particularly at risk.

UNICEF teams are working with trained frontline workers and partners, including the governors, mayors and local communities, to promote healthy hygiene practices to ensure children and their families know how to protect themselves and how to seek assistance. 

“The war in Lebanon is already putting children at grave risk, and now cholera and other contagious diseases have emerged as a new risk. A ceasefire is more important than ever to protect children from being killed and injured, to stem the growing humanitarian crisis on the ground and to focus on making sure that basic services are functioning properly،” said Beigbeder.-- UNICEF 

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