2 die from cholera in Syria after a devastating earthquake damages health, water infrastructure [Video]

Two people have died of cholera in Syria’s opposition-held northwest in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that hit the area, a source from the rescue force that operates there told Reuters on Tuesday.

The earthquake left more than 4,000 people dead in the rebel-controlled zone near the Turkish border and damaged fragile health and water infrastructure, prompting fears of a spike in cases of the disease.

The opposition-run civil defence, known as the White Helmets, said that the total number of cholera deaths recorded in the northwest since the outbreak began last year had risen to 22, with another 568 non-fatal cases reported.

SYRIA’S LACK OF MEDICAL CARE AND POOR WATER QUALITY EXACERBATES CHOLERA OUTBREAK

“The destruction of infrastructure, water and sewage lines after the earthquake increases the possibility of an outbreak of the disease,” the White Helmets said in a tweet.

A report by the United Nations Security Council last week said the ongoing outbreak had been worsened by …