HTS receives cholera vaccines from WHO
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – The first batch of cholera vaccines provided by World Health Organization (WHO) arrived in areas held by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing, northwest Syria, on Thursday.
A source from the HTS-linked Health Directorate said that the vaccines were delivered in coordination with ‘Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance’, a medical organization, and included 1.7 million cholera vaccines.
This batch is able to cover 45 percent of Idlib’s population, he added.
The Idlib Health Directorate recorded 37.500 suspected cholera cases, as well as 555 confirmed cases and 20 deaths before January 15.
The WHO made no comment. On December 24 , 2022, it announced that more than 250.000 people had received the cholera vaccine in the Syrian government-held areas in Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor governorates.
The Health Board of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) did not comment on the issue. Although the area has also seen cases of cholera and cholera-related deaths, there has as yet been no contact between the AANES and the WHO.