BEIRUT, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon has received its first batch of cholera vaccines as part of the international effort to help curb the spread of the life-threatening disease in the country, Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad announced Monday.
The 13,440 doses of Sanofi-produced vaccines, supported by the French government, would "play a key role in limiting the spread of cholera," Abiad was quoted by the National News Agency as saying.
The batch will be administered to frontline health workers across Lebanon, said French Ambassador to Lebanon Anne Grillo, adding her country will support Lebanon's effort with the World Health Organization (WHO) to get more doses in November.
Lebanon has so far tallied 388 cholera cases, including 17 deaths. Lebanon reported on Oct. 6 the first two lab-confirmed cases in the northern part of the country, representing its first cholera outbreak since 1993.
The WHO, which recommends the use of cholera vaccines in line with other preventive measures such as the supply of clean water and sanitation, said earlier this month that the strained global supply of cholera vaccines prompted it to reduce the standard two-dose provision to one dose.
