Cholera, meningitis, leishmaniasis spread in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor
DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – An official of the Health Committee of the Autonomous Administration of North and East of Syria (AANES) in Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria, said on Monday diseases including meningitis, cholera, and leishmaniasis spread in the areas due to the pollution of the Euphrates River water.
The outbreak of infectious diseases in Deir ez-Zor is linked to the low level of the Euphrates River due to forming swamps and spreading insects that carry epidemics, which contributes to the deterioration of the health situation, especially in residential areas adjacent to the river.
“Since the beginning of the year, the Committee has recorded about 250 cases of cholera and 735 cases of leishmaniasis”, Khadija al-Sheikh, co-chairwoman of the Health Committee in Deir ez-Zor, said.
“Water pollution led to the spread of meningitis, where the number of cases reached 320 cases in Deir ez-Zor,” she added.
Al-Sheikh called on humanitarian organizations to provide the necessary vaccines to combat the outbreak of the diseases and limit their spread, especially among children.