Cholera raises its head in Israel’s reservoir near Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Ministry of Health of Israel revealed on Friday cholera bacteria has been detected in the reservoir of the Yarmuk River north the country nearby the Syrian border.
The Israeli health authorities initiated a containment protocol by chlorinating the reservoir and cut off the flow of its waters into the Kinneret, Israel’s largest freshwater lake, to prevent cholera outbreak as in neighboring Syria and Lebanon.
As an initial assessment, the ministry suggested that the bacterium likely arrived from Syria.
“We have not identified any danger to public health in Israel due to the early detection and significant and rapid steps taken to face this threat ahead of time,” the ministry said in a statement.
Syria has recorded 92 deaths and more than 35,569 suspected cases of the extremely virulent disease since September, according to the World Health Organization, while in Lebanon, 18 deaths and 2,700 cases have been recorded.
Cholera is generally contracted from contaminated food or water and spreads in residential areas that lack proper sewerage networks or mains drinking water. While most cases are mild to moderate, cholera can cause death if it’s not treated correctly.