Tuberculosis threat looms over camps in Shehba

Shehba Health Coordination Spokesperson Rîm Qermo said the number of tuberculosis cases has risen from 45 to 77 in the tent camps in Shehba. Qermo said the disease is spreading and called for urgent help.

Tuberculosis has emerged in camps built for people of Afrin who have had to migrate to Shehba due to the barbaric attacks by the invading Turkish state against their lands.

Shehba Region Health Coordination Spokesperson Rîm Qermo said there were 45 tuberculosis patients in Afrin before the Turkish state attacks and they had been under constant care.

With the people of Afrin settling in camps, the number of tuberculosis cases rose to 77, said Rîm Qermo, and continued: “The overcrowding in the camps, the lack of basic hygiene and sufficient resources for treatment causes the disease to spread.” Rîm Qermo said they they met with various international health organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO) and stressed that the organizations did visit the camps and saw the conditions, but didn’t do anything.

Rîm Qermo said they found during checkups in the camps that many people had relapsed and several healthy patients caught the disease from them. Some of the sick are treated in the Heyva Sor a Kurd center in the Fafîn district, but the resources are not enough.

Rîm Qermo said the WHO agreed to build a health center in coordination with the Heyva Sor A Kurd in their meetings and added that they asked for general equipment and are expecting the arrival of medical cadres and equipment.

Rîm Qermo said preparations to isolate tuberculosis patients has started.