The Department of Preventive Medicine of the Ministry of Public Health has issued a statement on “Sapphire A”: “In light of the recent spread of Sapphire A ‘cases in Lebanon through some social media and some media outlets, the Ministry of Public Health is keen to clarify the following:

– Whistling is a disease that has been spreading in Lebanon for many years, and the Ministry of Health records several cases of the disease annually in more than one Lebanese region.

The incubation period of the disease ranges from two weeks to about 50 days, so the cases registered today were infected weeks earlier.

Symptoms are usually abbreviated as fever, diarrhea and jaundice (shortness of breath), and they are more susceptible to complications of the disease. In children, the symptoms are usually mild. In some cases, this may not be the case, especially in children.

– Fecal-oral transmission, so it is important to take preventative measures to reduce infections. The main methods of preventing the disease are personal hygiene, especially washing hands before eating, after using the toilet and changing diapers. As well as the use of clean water and the safe disposal of solid and liquid wastes.

– After examining the epidemiological condition of the areas where a significant increase in the number of patients was recorded, it was found that the eruption was likely due to the infrastructural disruption leading to mixing between drinking water and sewage.

The Ministry of Health, in conjunction with local authorities, oversees the rehabilitation of infrastructure and periodic sterilization of water resources. The Ministry, in collaboration with international organizations, conducts public awareness seminars on the prevention of diseases and how to disinfect water using chlorine.

The high number of cases by some media in the separate Lebanese regions was not considered in the current eruptions in the Northern Governorate, on the contrary, it is an overall figure from the beginning of this year, and it is only a reflection of the situation. “Viscaria A” in Lebanon.

– The “Sapphire A” vaccine is not included in the national vaccination calendar, but is optional, and the Ministry of Health is currently working with international organizations to try to use it during similar outbreaks.

The Ministry is closely monitoring the epidemiological status of the disease on a daily basis and in the last 24 hours, the number of outbreak cases has decreased.

To prevent the spread of panic in the community, the Ministry of Public Health calls on citizens to obtain accurate medical and epidemiological information from official and scientific references.