Aid worker warns of ‘tragic and stark reality’ for earthquake-hit Syria

North west Syria is facing a "tragic and stark reality" following the earthquake which killed 45,000 people in the country and neighbouring Turkey a month ago, an aid worker has warned.

An aerial view shows medics at the Maram camp, for the internally displaced, in Syria's northwestern Idlib province on Tuesday, during a vaccination campaign. Syrian medics launched the first cholera vaccination campaign in the rebel-held northwest since a deadly outbreak began last year, amid increased fears of contagion after last month's devastating earthquake. Health workers were going door to door to inoculate people in homes and displacement camps in the Idlib region, the war-torn country's last main rebel bastion.

Nicole Hark, deputy country director for Syria of Mercy Corps, which has its European headquarters in Edinburgh, warned food prices are soaring amid supply issues caused by the quake, as well as a knock-on effect of a lack of grain supplies from Ukraine.

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit near the city of Gaziantep in Turkey last month, followed by another quake just hours later.

Meanwhile, the conflict-hit country, which has been in civil war since 2011, is starting to see cases of cholera rise as people who lost their homes due to the earthquake are forced to turn to non-sanitary sources of drinking water.

Nicole Hark, Mercy Corps deputy country director for Syria.

"Long term, we're looking at a pretty tragic and stark reality for north west Syria,” said Ms Hark. “It was already a pretty dire humanitarian crisis and there already were millions of people displaced with significant humanitarian needs.

“There’s still the actual post-event trauma. Women, men, children, everybody's still finding it difficult to sleep, to function normally. They're still grieving for the loss of loved ones. Being forgotten and being overlooked in this is probably our greatest concern."

Cholera vaccine campaigns have been stepped up since the earthquake in a bid to stem the increase in cases, however, experts fear the summer months could see a major spike. Boreholes and wells which are important sources of water, especially for people already living in refugee camps and temporary housing, have been impacted by the earthquake.

"The cholera cases have been on the rise in the winter. said Ms Hark. “It's not necessarily as strong [as it has been during previous outbreaks] but there's a real fear that will continue to increase and of course, one of the best ways to combat it is to increase the amount of household water usage and more focus on hygiene practice. We’re pushing for that, but trying to get more water at the same time that we've had major damage to our infrastructure becomes a real constraint in terms of supply.”

On February 14, the United Nations issued a flash appeal for $397 million to cover emergency needs stemming from the earthquake in Syria for three months. So far, just 43 per cent of that appeal is funded with only two months remaining. Initial supply access problems due to border crossings into Syria have largely been resolved. Basic foodstuffs are up to four times more expensive than they were a year ago, while the cost of food for livestock has also rocketed.

"Now what's a greater concern is the funding more broadly,” Ms Hark said. “But it's becoming a question of the cost and the timing, more so than the actual access. There's massive hyperinflation, which was present even before the earthquake and now scarcity has only accelerated that. Then at the same time, you're seeing shortages and things like baby supplies: so like formula diapers, hygiene items, particularly for women and young girls.”

She added: "There’s not enough commitment in general and the disproportion impact is largely due to the political situation. You have quite a lot of emphasis and focus going towards Turkey and less into Syria.”