AANES records 50 Cholera cases in NE Syria
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria recorded on Saturday three deaths from cholera disease.
The AANES said that the cholera spread in it areas of control, especially in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor.
The western countryside of Deir ez-Zor and the eastern countryside of Raqqa recorded 24 cholera cases due to contaminated drinking water.
A medial source from al-Kasra Hospital in the western countryside of Deir ez–Zor told North Press that 50 swaps have been taken for suspected cholera cases, 24 of which were infected.
The cases concentrated in the western countryside of Deir ez-Zor and areas near the eastern countryside of Raqqa, the source added.
The source went further saying that the supposed reason for the outbreak of the cholera is contamination of the Euphrates water due to its decreasing level and not using sterilizers and filters at water pumping stations.
The water level has witnessed a record decline described by residents as “catastrophic” as a result of Turkey’s seizure of the river’s water.
As a result, the river turned to quagmires which led to polluting drinking water.
The source said that infections have begun to emerge in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, and it is noticeable that they continue to spread along the river bed.
The source warned that cholera is transmitted by fecal contact or saliva, and it is not transmitted through breathing.
The Health Board in the AANES appealed to international organizations, especially the World Health Organization, to provide the necessary support to reduce the spread of cholera.
Hassan al-Ahmad, a resident of the town of al-Haws, 60 km east of Raqqa, said that a 20-year-old girl lost her life on Friday morning after she was transferred to al-Salam Hospital in Raqqa.
The medical team told the girl’s family that she lost her life for being infected with cholera due to contaminated drinking water.
During the past two years, the level of the Euphrates has fell to unprecedented records, after the amount of water flowing from Turkey towards Syria has decreased to below 200 cubic meters per second, which is less than half the amount agreed upon between the Syrian and Turkish governments in 1987.