NNA - Caretaker Minister of Public Health, Dr. Firas Al-Abiad, on Monday received a French donation of 13,440 doses of cholera vaccines, provided as a gift from Foundation S - The Sanofi Collective, with the support of France. 

This is the first batch of the cholera vaccine in Lebanon, which is looking forward to receiving another batch — six hundred thousand doses — that it had requested from the “International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision” of the World Health Organization, within ten days. 

Abiad announced receiving the French donation in a press conference attended by French Ambassador to Lebanon, Anne Grillo, and a number of representatives of international organizations in Lebanon including WHO, UNHCR, UNICEF, IRC, Sanofi, and others.

"Lebanon is in a proactive stage preceding the possibility of a widespread outbreak,” Abiad warned. “The epidemic is an alarm to swiftly treat Lebanon’s water, waste, and sewer networks,” the Health Minister added. 

In turn, the French Ambassador said, “France has responded to Lebanon's request in record time, and will continue to support it when the need arises.”

=============R.H.