Hepititis A cases in Lebanon jump by nearly 400 in one day amid medicine, water crisis

The total number of Hepatitis A cases in Lebanon jumped to 555 from 174 between Monday and Tuesday, amid an ongoing crisis in the country's health and sewage systems.

Lebanon's health ministry said most of the cases were registered in the northern part of the country and the Bekaa region, east of the capital city Beirut.

The rise in cases comes after Youssef Bakhash, head of the Syndicates of Physicians in Lebanon warned on Monday that Hepatitis A is spreading fast in the country.

He blamed the spread of the disease on the shortage of potable water, poor healthcare system, and inability to implement general hygiene out of a lack of resources.

Bakhash urged the government to secure vaccines to launch a vaccination campaign to protect residents from the disease.

Lebanon's currency has lost more than 90 percent of its value since 2019, while medication prices have risen fourfold, according to an Amnesty International report from December, 2021.

In September, the United Nations warned that healthcare was out of reach for 33 percent of households in Lebanon. More than half of them were unable to obtain medicine, either because it was too expensive or no longer stocked at pharmacies.

Weeks later, Lebanon's cash-strapped government lifted subsidies on most medicines - including those to treat chronic illnesses including cancer - pushing prices up even further.