The United Nations warned of a high risk of cholera outbreaks in opposition-held northwest Syria, after two people died from cholera following two catastrophic earthquakes centered in Türkiye's Kahramanmaraş province on Feb. 6.
"The risk of disease is growing amid preexisting cholera outbreaks," the U.N.'s humanitarian affairs chief Martin Griffiths told the Security Council three weeks after deadly Feb. 6 temblors devastated wide stretches of Syria and Türkiye. "The prices of food, household costs, and other essential items climb higher," he added.
Immediate action needs to be taken to restore drinking water to the people of the region to address "the pervasive threat of cholera in Syria, its northwest and beyond," he said.
The opposition-run civil defense, known as the White Helmets, said that the total number of cholera-related deaths recorded in the northwest since the outbreak began last year had risen to 22, with another 568 non-fatal cases reported.
"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 "severe shortages" of clean water across the country.
It said Syria's wet season had been "unusually dry" and hot.
First linked in September 2022 to contaminated water near the Euphrates River, the outbreak spread across various areas in the nation fractured by more than a decade of war.
More than 50,000 people have died in Türkiye and Syria following the quakes, which toppled thousands of buildings and caused major damage throughout the region.
In Syria, Griffiths said, hundreds of buildings remain at risk of collapse with thousands in the city of Aleppo potentially requiring demolition.
"Many people, of course, are afraid to return to their homes yet to be certified safe," he informed.
