UN Warns of Serious Cholera Threat in Syria

Facts

• On Tues., the U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, Imran Riza, expressed concern over an outbreak of cholera in the country, calling for urgent action to combat its spread.
• More than 900 suspected cases have been reported and eight deaths were confirmed, with the outbreak being concentrated in the provinces of Aleppo and Deir al-Zour.
• Riza pointed out that this is likely connected to the use of contaminated water to irrigate crops and people drinking directly from the Euphrates River.
• After more than a decade of war, Syria's national water infrastructure has been severely disrupted and its population depends on unsafe water sources. Though this is the first outbreak of cholera in recent years, it follows a reported increase in diarrhea, malnutrition, and skin conditions.
• The U.N. has announced it's sending medical supplies to health facilities and providing clean water to the affected regions with cholera. The disease is caused by ingesting food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae and can kill within hours if untreated.
• The World Health Organization has asked donors to increase funding as it has been dealing with several cholera outbreaks worldwide, including in Pakistan.

Sources: ABC, BBC News, Al Jazeera, and Reuters.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Newsbud. The WHO has been warning for years that contagious diseases are on the rise as a result of climate change. Climate-sensitive diseases like cholera will worsen as temperatures rise and extreme weather events increase in frequency. When these conditions collide in developing nations like Syria - which have little means to protect themselves - catastrophe can follow.
• Narrative B, as provided by North Press Agency. This cholera outbreak isn't related to climate change. It's a direct consequence of Turkey's seizing the Euphrates River's water as Ankara has turned Syria's water reserves into a swamp. By dropping the water level to a record low, Turkey has created the conditions for water contamination and now it's the Syrian people who are paying the price. This is a geopolitical issue.