BEIRUT, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced Friday that it has activated its emergency cholera response with Lebanon's Health Ministry after the detection of a case in northern Lebanon amid increasing displacement across the country.
"The war in Lebanon is already putting children at grave risk, and now cholera and other contagious diseases have emerged as a new risk," said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF's representative in Lebanon.
Lebanon recorded the return of cholera cases in October 2022 after their disappearance since 1993. In June 2023, Lebanon's Health Ministry announced the end of the cholera outbreak in the country after taking several measures to combat the epidemic.
According to UNICEF, a multisectoral response was launched on Wednesday -- when Lebanon announced the detection of a cholera case in the north -- in high-risk areas to ensure that children and families have access to safe water, sanitation, and personal hygiene supplies.
"UNICEF is making significant efforts to support the Ministry of Public Health to help protect all children and families in Lebanon from the spread of cholera," Beigbeder said.
"A ceasefire is more important than ever to protect children from being killed and injured, to stem the growing humanitarian crisis on the ground, and to focus on making sure that basic services are functioning properly," he said.
Since Sept. 23, the Israeli army has been launching intensive attacks on Lebanon in a dangerous escalation with Hezbollah, causing great casualties and mass displacement.
