Beirut, Nov 9 (IANS): Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad said on Tuesday that the country will launch a first-phase vaccination campaign against cholera on Saturday as the outbreak is now under control.

"There was a rapid alert to the epidemic, whether by equipping hospital centres, boosting prevention, or securing vaccines," Abiad said during a press conference held here on Tuesday.

The first-phase vaccination campaign will see 600,000 doses administered in three weeks, aiming to cover 70 per cent of target groups in the areas most vulnerable to the outbreak, Xinhua news agency quoted the Minister as saying.

Lebanon will soon receive 1.5 million more doses of vaccine that will be administered in more areas in the second-phase vaccination campaign.

Lebanon has so far reported 2,722 cholera cases, including 448 lab-confirmed cases and 18 deaths, since the first cases were detected in early October, according to the latest figures by the Health Ministry.

This is Lebanon's first cholera outbreak since 1993.