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The WHO warns of the risk of diseases in Lebanon

The WHO warns of the risk of diseases in Lebanon

A World Health Organization (WHO) official warned on Tuesday that there is a risk of disease outbreaks in Lebanon due to conditions in overcrowded shelters for displaced people and the closure of hospitals as doctors flee Israeli attacks.

The Israeli army also launched ground operations in southwest Lebanon on Tuesday, escalating a year-long conflict with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group that has killed more than 1,000 people in the past two weeks.

"We are facing a situation where the risk of disease outbreaks is much higher, such as diarrhoea, hepatitis A and a number of vaccine-preventable diseases," WHO official Ian Clarke told a news conference. in Lebanon.

The United Nations health agency has already warned that the health system is overwhelmed, and so far five hospitals in the country have been closed and another four are only partially functioning, Clarke said.

He added that the hospitals are closed because doctors have either left because of the fighting, or have been asked to evacuate by the Lebanese authorities.

At the same conference, a World Food Program (WFP) official expressed concern about Lebanon's ability to feed itself, saying thousands of hectares of farmland in the south of the country have been burned or abandoned due to escalating fighting.

"In terms of agriculture and food production, there is tremendous concern about Lebanon's ability to continue feeding itself," said Matthew Hollingworth, WFP's director in Lebanon, adding that harvests are failing and crops are rotting. in the fields./rel

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