Emergency team formed after Hepatitis spread in Daraa town
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Authorities in southern Syria’s Daraa governorate announced on Tuesday the formation of an emergency investigation team to monitor and contain a hepatitis outbreak in the town of Mahja, where around 109 confirmed cases have been recorded.
The move comes after days of reported infections in Mahja, located in the northern countryside of Daraa, prompting residents to call for urgent intervention to curb the spread of the disease.
According to a statement by Daraa province, the emergency team includes representatives from the Health Directorate, the head of Izra district, officials from water and sanitation institutions, and members of the Mahja local council.
The team has carried out a series of urgent measures, most notably repairing a leak at well No. 9, which was identified as a potential source of contamination. Authorities also evacuated families living near the well as a precaution and deployed sanitation teams to address exposed sewage sources in the area.
Nael al-Zoubi, head of the Communicable Diseases Department at the Daraa Health Directorate, attributed the main cause of the outbreak to contaminated drinking water, noting that the issue has since been addressed.
Al-Zoubi told state media that “the increase in the number of cases is due to the failure to isolate infected individuals in their homes, which facilitates the transmission of the infection without being noticed.”
The outbreak highlights ongoing challenges in maintaining safe water and sanitation infrastructure in parts of southern Syria, where local authorities continue to respond to public health risks.