The Potential Impact of Water Quality on the Spread and Control of COVID-19 in Syrian Refugee Camps in Lebanon
Publisher: Water International
Author(s): Issmat I. Kassem and Hadi Jaafar
Date: 2020
Topics: Humanitarian Assistance, Public Health, Renewable Resources
Countries: Lebanon
The Syrian civil war has been raging since 11 March 2011, causing millions of civilians to seek refuge in safer countries, including Lebanon, a small Mediterranean country that is bordered by Syria to the north and east. A great number of Syrian refugees, including children, elderly, and immunocompromised individuals, have found themselves living in makeshift camps and tents that provide little protection from the elements as well as limited access to basic needs such as clean water and sanitation, robust medical support, and safe and nutritious foods. It is known that the spread of COVID-19 is most likely to be facilitated in crowded places where it is impossible to maintain ‘social distance’, and in communities that do not have access to good medical systems, sanitation, and hygienic products or infrastructure. Thus, the conditions that facilitate the spread of COVID-19 in disenfranchised populations such as those in the Syrian civil war refugee camps in Lebanon are of significant concern (Kassem, 2020).