Cholera spreads in Syria as displacement camps on high alert
Fears of a cholera outbreak in Syria are growing after authorities revealed that part of the Euphrates River has been contaminated.
As cholera spreads in northeastern Syria, concerns are mounting about an outbreak of the disease in other parts of the country, including in the northwest where displacement camps that lack any basic infrastructure could serve as a hotbed for the infectious disease.
According to data by the Early Warning Alert and Response Network (EWARN), a health information system for monitoring epidemiological diseases in the Syrian opposition-held areas, the number of suspected cholera cases in northeastern Syria has reached 8,228 as of Oct. 4 since the outbreak began in the area on Aug. 10.
The Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration for North and East Syria warned on Sept. 21 of the danger of cholera spreading further in the area and said the Euphrates River was contaminated.
Saad Shuwaikh, an agricultural engineer in Raqqa, told Al-Monitor, “The low water levels in the Euphrates River and the cholera contamination are among the main reasons for the outbreak. Some spots have turned into swamps that formed a suitable environment for the spread of cholera, especially since farmers rely mainly on the Euphrates River for irrigation.”
