• Syrian refugees in Lebanon
    Still suffering
    http://www.economist.com/blogs/pomegranate/2013/10/syrian-refugees-lebanon

    More than 30% of Syrian households in Lebanon soon will be ineligible for assistance, as UN agencies begin to target their aid more narrowly. Laure Chadraoui, WFP’s spokesperson, says lack of funds—the Lebanon appeal is only 44% funded—is not the only reason for curtailing the programme. “We have always planned to target the most vulnerable people,” she says.

    The WFP says the eligibility assessment is based on a range of factors, but neither aid workers nor refugees know the exact criteria. With a population of 4m, Lebanon is Syria’s smallest neighbour, but it is carrying the biggest burden in terms of refugees. More than 800,000 have so far registered with UNHCR. If guest workers and unregistered refugees are included the number of Syrians in the country probably exceeds 1.2m.

    (...)

    The World Bank estimates that the financial cost of the conflict to Lebanon this year will reach $2.6 billion. That could rise to $7.5 billion in total by the end of next year. GDP growth could be as low as 1.5%, the bank says, and the country’s infrastructure is under immense pressure: “Across all core public services, the surge in demand is currently being partly met through a decline in public service access and quality.”

    Healthcare in Lebanon is under particular strain; Syrians now account for 40% of hospital visits. The number of confirmed cases of Measles has soared from nine in 2012 to more than 1,300 so far this year. Polio, which was eradicated from Lebanon in 2002, threatens to return, as 22 suspected cases of the disease were discovered last week in the Syrian province of Deir Ez-Zor. Lebanon plans to inoculate 700,000 children over the next two months, thanks to vaccines donated by UNICEF. But the country’s infrastructure is creaking ever more volubly.