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Vaccines

Cholera Outbreak in Lebanon: Epidemiology and Outbreak Response

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A severe cholera outbreak struck Lebanon in 2022, with the first reported case on October 6, 2022. The outbreak, which lasted from October 2022 to June 2023, led to 8072 cases, including 671 laboratory-confirmed cases, and 23 deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) and national and international stakeholders implemented coordinated prevention and control strategies, containing the outbreak through a cholera vaccine campaign. By December 2022, 45.3% of the target population had been vaccinated.

Key Takeaways:

  • The cholera outbreak in Lebanon started on October 6, 2022, and lasted for 9 months, with the first reported case being in the Beirut governorate.
  • The outbreak spread across all 8 governorates, with 23 districts affected, resulting in 8072 cases and 23 deaths.
  • The case fatality ratio was 0.28%, indicating a relatively low mortality rate.
  • The cholera vaccine campaign started in November 2022, with the proportion of vaccinated people among the target population evolving from 4.8% in November 2022 to 45.3% in February 2023.
  • The implementation of coordinated multisectoral prevention and control strategies, supported by national and international stakeholders, was crucial in containing the outbreak.
  • The outbreak response in Lebanon was conducted in the context of a humanitarian emergency, with the WHO and other stakeholders playing a key role in the response efforts.

Statistics:

  • 8072 cases of cholera were reported during the outbreak.
  • 671 laboratory-confirmed cases were reported during the outbreak.
  • 23 deaths were reported during the outbreak, resulting in a case fatality ratio of 0.28%.
  • 45.3% of the target population was vaccinated by February 2023.
  • The cholera vaccine campaign started in November 2022, with the proportion of vaccinated people among the target population evolving from 4.8% in November 2022 to 45.3% in February 2023.

Sources:

  • Descriptive Epidemiology of the 2022-2023 Cholera Outbreak in Lebanon and Lessons Learned in the Context of a Humanitarian Emergency Situation. Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 2025;12(8).
  • World Health Organization. (2025). Study Results from World Health Organization (WHO) in the Area of Cholera Reported (Descriptive Epidemiology of the 2022-2023 Cholera Outbreak in Lebanon and Lessons Learned in the Context of a Humanitarian Emergency Situation). Vaccine Weekly. August 27, 2025; p 135.

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