These diseases result from a deterioration in socio-economic conditions in communities that suffer from overcrowding. However, some people are unjustifiably afraid of refugee arrivals, after the recent events in the region. The various diseases, viruses and microbes can be avoided through immunization and prevention.
The flight of refugees is usually accompanied by the outbreak of contagious diseases, which can generate a climate of fear in local communities, especially since there is a lack of awareness and orientation for safe and healthy methods of prevention. These diseases emerge as a result of deteriorating socio-economic and social conditions accompanying displacement, and the scarcity of potable water that is free of germs and pollution, and even water used to wash fruits and vegetables and personal use. Moreover, there is the problem of disposing of solid and liquid waste in refugee communities.
The awareness campaign includes paying attention to personal hygiene, especially washing hands on a regular basis, providing safe drinking water, and safely disposing of waste and changing social conditions, in cooperation with concerned ministries, municipalities and civil society. Health security affects everyone and the problem isn’t restricted to a certain group of people who have been displaced. Thus, people should abide by the immunization calendar adopted by the Ministry of Health; they shouldn’t spread panic – we can reduce the danger of infection through vaccinations and personal cleanliness.
According to the Health Ministry’s Monitoring Program (available on the ministry’s website), refugees, since the winter, have suffered from a wave of mumps, with 177 cases reported this year. We have also encountered Hepatitis-A (109 cases), Leishmania (12 cases), Meningitis of various kinds (99 cases), Hepatitis-B (16 cases), and acute flaccid paralysis (four cases). No Polio cases have been reported. The ministry obtained the figures from hospitals and health centers throughout the country.
The Health Ministry, moreover, doesn’t deal with Syrian refugees as an independent unit – it’s a part of the public health system. There are no borders or nationality when it comes to contagious diseases, according to Dr. Atika Berri, the head of the preventative health center at the ministry. «When a contagious disease emerges, the ministry deals with it as a source of danger for society as a whole, and for everyone present in Lebanon,» she says. «Thus, the measures taken are unified ones, which is in the health interest of everyone.»
Berri also outlines the effort to deal with mumps: «The ministry advises checking the immunization calendar of every afflicted person, and compensating for the deficiency in immunization with more protection in the event that a person is affected, especially among schoolchildren and university students.
«The patient must stay home for five days, or until the symptoms of swelling in glands dissipate. The most prominent symptoms are high temperature, swollen glands until they appear on one or both cheeks.»
As for Leishmania, summertime is upon us. The ministry recommends that all trash be disposed of on an ongoing basis; it also recommends pest control, especially sand flies, which are smaller than mosquitoes – their bites cause the disease if they are carrying parasites. They gather around refuse, and this is why pest control is important. The treatment should cover the affected area to decrease the chance of infection.»
As for avoiding hepatitis-A, Berri says that «it’s important to use safe water, adopt the principles of safe nutrition, eat germ-free good and properly prepare and serve food shouldn’t be mixed them together, especially during preparation.»
«Symptoms include a high temperature, nausea, and vomiting, with the likelihood of diarrhea. Jaundice is another symptom, for those over seven years of age. For those who are younger, jaundice doesn’t appear in around 70 percent of the cases; we must monitor other symptoms in children and infants,» she says.
The ministry stresses the importance of awareness for parents and teachers. Doctors’ prescribed treatments should be adhered to – we shouldn’t resort to haphazard treatments that involve antibiotics, which make cases worse, especially with Hepatitis-A because they could lead to dangerous complications. It’s important to isolate patients until they are cured so that the disease doesn’t spread.
Some refugee students suffer from leprosy and lice because of crowded living conditions and the lack of basic health requirements. The leading symptoms here are recurrent itching in the afflicted areas (such as with head lice, for example); this itching could lead to open sores that could become affected because of the bacteria that usually spreads on a person’s skin. It’s a parasitic disease that is treated through cleanliness, changing sheets, pillows and clothing on a regular basis, and topical treatment.
The Health Ministry, moreover, doesn’t deal with Syrian refugees as an independent unit – it’s a part of the public health system. There are no borders or nationality when it comes to contagious diseases