Hepatitis Sweeps Through Mahajjah in Rural Daraa; Health Authorities Launch Urgent Response

 The town of "Mahja" in the northern countryside of Daraa is facing a worsening health crisis as the incidence of hepatitis A infections continues to rise.

Local sources confirmed that the number of cases exceeded 100 infections, amid accusations by the Ministry of Health and the concerned authorities of failing to take serious measures to contain the situation.

Local platforms published urgent appeals to the governor of Daraa and the Minister of Health, in which residents warned of an "epidemic explosion" that could spread to the entire province, pointing out that the infected are visiting government institutions and hospitals outside the town without strict health restrictions, which increases the chances of an outbreak of infection.

Public Criticism of Government Measures

Residents of the town criticized what they described as "superficial treatment," with official interventions limited to sterilizing only two wells and distributing chlorine tablets in one lane, while the town's clinic suffers from a severe shortage of medical supplies.

Residents also pointed to the lack of an effective role for the Civil Defense and service institutions in transporting garbage and treating the causes of the disease, in parallel with calls to enhance health awareness among citizens to reduce polluting practices.

The Ministry of Health launches an urgent response

The Ministry of Health (MOH) launched an urgent response today to contain the outbreak of hepatitis A in the town of Mahjah in Daraa.

The ministry said in a statement today that the ministry has begun to implement an urgent response to contain the outbreak of hepatitis A in the town of Mahaja after monitoring the rise in infections since April 14 and reaching a peak between the 19th and 20th of the same month.

The investigation visit on April 21 showed the registration of 58 suspected cases, with the concentration of infections in specific neighborhoods and their rise among children, in addition to transmission within families, where environmental analyses revealed bacterial contamination in some water sources, in addition to risk factors such as the proximity of population and livestock to wells, poor chlorination, water leakage, and the use of sewage water in irrigation.

The laboratory results confirmed that the infections are caused by the hepatitis A virus, so the ministry began to strengthen surveillance, sterilize water sources, implement environmental interventions, and intensify community awareness.

The Ministry of Health is working to contain the outbreak and follow up the epidemiological situation on a daily basis, and recommends ensuring the safety of water sources by cleaning and sterilizing wells, keeping population and livestock away from them, ensuring continuous operation of chlorination, and preventing the use of wastewater in agriculture.

Daraa Health. Pollution and network failures

For its part, the Daraa Health Directorate announced the monitoring of 58 cases through the health center's records, confirming that 50% of them were laboratory-tested, and that most of the infected were children between the ages of 5 and 11.

Dr. Nael Al-Zoubi, Director of the Communicable Diseases Department at the Directorate of Health, explained that the disease is "endemic" in the governorate and Syria in general as a result of the deterioration of sewage and water networks. He explained that the current outbreak is concentrated in the eastern neighborhood of the town of Mahja, attributing the possible reasons to:

The presence of blockages in the sewage network and its interference with the water network.

Drinking water pollution as a result of leaking pipes and the presence of sheep pens and waste around the wells feeding the town.

The phenomenon of irrigation of crops with wastewater continues from Wadi Al-Aram.

Energy crisis disrupts "chlorination"

Al-Zoubi revealed a major technical obstacle facing sterilization operations, as chlorine pumping devices in the water network work on electrical energy, and stop for 5 hours for every one hour of operation as a result of frequent interruptions, which prompted the Directorate to ask the municipality to secure a continuous source of energy to ensure water safety.

This phenomenon reflects a fragile health reality in Daraa governorate, which, according to the Ministry of Health's data last November, accounted for about 20% of the total infections recorded in Syria (more than 2,200 infections).

Experts say these crises will continue to recur unless the structural roots of infrastructure rehabilitation and the provision of clean and sustainable drinking water for the population are addressed.