Growing Cholera Outbreak in Syria Infects Hundreds, 39 Dead

The shadow of a Syrian girl is cast upon a water container at the Sahlah al-Banat camp for displaced people in the countryside of Raqa, in northern Syria, on September 19, 2022. (AFP)

A deadly cholera outbreak in Syria has killed at least 39 people and infected hundreds more this past month, health officials said Wednesday, raising concerns about whether the war-torn country can put a stop to its spread.

The UN and Syria’s Health Ministry have said the source of the outbreak is believed to be linked to people drinking unsafe water from the Euphrates River and using contaminated water to irrigate crops, resulting in food contamination.