Over 400,000 children forced from their homes by the escalating conflict in Lebanon are at risk of skin diseases, cholera, and other waterborne diseases due to overcrowded, basic conditions in collective* shelters and a lack of water and sanitation facilities, said Save the Children. 

The first case of cholera and cases of scabies have already been reported among some of the 1.2 million people forcibly displaced from their homes. The World Health Organisation expressed concerns that many of those who had fled the violence in the south had no protection from cholera, which thrives in poor water and sanitary conditions. 

With winter fast approaching, children and families sleeping out in the open or in collective shelters that lack adequate heating will be exposed to harsh conditions and forced to endure cold, wet weather without proper protection, warned Save the Children which is working in 194 of the 1,094 collective shelters in Lebanon. These poor living conditions will expose children to a high risk of respiratory infections and other cold-related health issues.