First linked to contaminated water near the Euphrates river, the outbreak has now spread across the fractured nation, with cases reported in government- and rebel-controlled regions. "How am I not supposed to catch cholera with the sewage running right next to our tent?" While most of those affected will have mild or no symptoms, cholera can kill within hours if untreated, the World Health Organization website says. The first cholera cases were detected on Sept. 5 in Deir al-Zor province, before spreading to other areas including the cities of Raqqa and Hasaka, said Jawan Mustafa, health director in the Kurdish-run administration of northeastern Syria. He said there were more than 4,350 suspected cases of cholera in northeastern Syria, and 100 confirmed cases.

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