SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 29 March 2024, Friday |

Ministry of health says cause of Hepatitis A outbreak due to mixture of drinking water with sewage water

The Preventive Medicine Department at Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health on Thursday issued a statement on the Hepatitis “A” outbreak in some Lebanese regions, clarifying that after studying the epidemiological situation of the areas that recorded a noticeable increase in the number of Hepatitis “A” cases, it has been discovered that the outbreak is most likely caused by the deterioration of infrastructure in said regions, which eventually led to a mixture between drinking water and sewage water.

“The Ministry of Health, in cooperation with the local authorities, is monitoring the rehabilitation of infrastructure and regular sterilization of water sources. The ministry, in cooperation with international organizations, is also conducting awareness seminars for people on how to prevent the disease from spreading and the means to sterilize water using chlorine,” the statement read.

It also explained that the Hepatitis “A” vaccine was not included in the national mandatory vaccination calendar, but was rather an optional vaccine.

“The Ministry of Health is currently seeking to provide this vaccine in cooperation with international organizations for use to curb similar outbreaks,” the statement added.

The ministry affirmed that it was closely following up, on a daily basis, the epidemiological situation of the disease, and that during the last 24 hours, the outbreak recorded a decrease in the number of cases.

    Source:
  • NNA