This outbreak has been linked to contaminated water from the Euphrates River in northeast Syria. It was further exacerbated by an acute water shortage and weak water and sanitation infrastructure decimated by years of armed conflict and decreased humanitarian funding. The cholera outbreak adds another layer of complexity to an already catastrophic humanitarian situation, with people living in northern Syria contending with another harsh winter, the unstable security situation, and the risk of disruption of cross-border aid.
As of November 20, 12,643 suspected cholera cases were reported in northwest Syria, including 11 deaths; 884 suspected cases in Tal Abyad and Ras Al-Ain, including 2 deaths; and 23,578 suspected cases in northeast Syria, including 30 deaths (according to Assistance Coordination Unit-ACU). MSF is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with local health authorities and other medical and humanitarian organizations and adapting our operations based on the needs.
Northeast Syria: Raqqa and Hassakah Governorates
It is morning in the war-ravaged but still bustling city of Raqqa in northeast Syria. Fatina, who is originally from Aleppo, is lying on her bed in an MSF-supported cholera treatment unit (CTU). She is still feeling weak, so a nurse is helping her drink an oral rehydration solution (ORS) from a cup as she recovers from cholera, a disease that hasn’t been seen in Syria for over a decade. Fatina came to visit her son, who moved to the city after fleeing the fighting in the northwest of the country ten years ago. But her hopes of a happy reunion were quickly dashed when she became ill shortly after arriving.