UNICEF provides immediate assistance to halt the Cholera outbreak in Lebanon
UNICEF has been employing every effort to support the Government of Lebanon to contain the Cholera outbreak since the announcement of the Cholera outbreak in Lebanon
Since the announcement of the Cholera outbreak in Lebanon on the 6th of October 2022, UNICEF has been employing every effort to support the Government of Lebanon to contain the disease that is threatening the lives of children and families at risk.
Cholera is a waterborne disease, spread by eating food or drinking water that is contaminated with the bacteria. The outbreak we saw in Lebanon after 30 years was made worse by weak water and sanitation systems and poverty, all of which make access to safe water more challenging.
Amid this fast-evolving landscape, UNICEF has stepped up its efforts to reach children and their families with the lifesaving supplies and community-based support they urgently need. With the support of our donors such as the Governments of Canada and France, UNICEF scaled up its response by improving access to safe water and sanitation through the delivery of chlorinated trucked water, desludging wastewater and ensuring disinfection in informal settlements with suspected or confirmed cases and procuring sprayers distributed to implementing partners to clean water tanks.
Furthermore, community engagement was also an important part of the response where hygiene awareness sessions were conducted with children and families to shed light on the prevention measures needed to stop the rapid spread of Cholera. These sessions were accompanied by the distribution of cholera family hygiene kits to households and disinfection kits to frontline workers.
