Contagious diseases spreading in Al-Zaatari Camp-Jordanian Health official
Health ministry working to contain outbreaks
Mohamed Al-Daameh Asharq Al-Awsat Sunday, 19 May, 2013
http://www.aawsat.net/2013/05/article55302366

Amman, Asharq Al-Awsat—A number of highly contagious and fatal diseases are
spreading amongst refugees in the Al-Zaatari [Syrian Refugee] Camp,
according to a Jordanian Health official.

Dr. Mohammed Al Abdallat, Director of Communicable Diseases in the Jordanian
Ministry of Health revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that medical centers and
hospitals in the Al-Zaatari Camp have registered numerous contagious
diseases spreading among Syrian refugees. He emphasized that the directorate
is currently working to treat these diseases in order to prevent them from
spreading further among in the camp.

According to Dr. Al Abdallat, the infections that have been registered
include; tuberculosis, types A and B of Viral hepatitis, pulmonary
tuberculosis, typhoid, leishmaniasis, and HIV-AIDS. He added that the
HIV-AIDS cases involved eight individuals.

The Director of Communicable Diseases went on to say that the causes of
these diseases vary and include bad hygiene conditions and non-compliance
with or incomplete inoculation programs in their country.

He pointed out that those suffering from the HIV-AIDS virus were infected
before entering Jordan, possibly from contaminated blood.

Al-Abdallat said that, humanitarian organizations and the Jordanian Health
Ministry have conducted a measles immunization program as a precautionary
measure.

For his part, Khalid Abu-Rumman, director of the National Program to Stop
Tuberculosis in Jordan, noted that the number of Syrian refugees in the
Al-Zaatari Camp with tuberculosis has reached about 151, according to the
medical centers based in the camp.

Abu-Rumman specified that the rate of tuberculosis inactions in Syria were
high, with 40 cases in every 1,000 persons. He added that this rate is high
when compared with Jordan where five in every 100,000 are infected.

The number of Syrian refugees in the Al-Zaatari Camp has exceeded 190,000.
In all, there are 540,000 Syrian refugees living in various Jordanian
cities.

According to the UN’s refugee agency, over 1.5 million Syrians have fled
their conflict-ravaged homeland, warning that the real figure could be even
higher as the tally only reflected those who register with aid groups.