Beirut, Nov 11 (IANS): Two UN humanitarian relief funds have allocated $9.5 million to prevent the spread of cholera in Lebanon.

A statement released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Thursday reported that the amount collected by the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and Lebanon Humanitarian Fund (LHF) will target more than 1.5 million people across Lebanon at heightened risk of exposure to cholera.

"CERF and LHF funding will support early containment and rapid response activities critical to prevent loss of life and stop the spread of this disease in high-risk areas," said Imran Riza, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon.

CERF and LHF are OCHA-managed pooled fund mechanisms used complementarily to facilitate fast, effective, accountable humanitarian response, Xinhua news agency reported.

As of November 9, Lebanon registered a total of 490 confirmed cases of cholera, while the death toll from the infection reached 18.

On October 6, Lebanon detected two confirmed cholera cases in the northern part of the country, representing the first cholera outbreak in Lebanon since 1993.