News / Yemen

Yemen faces ‘highest burden’ of cholera globally: WHO

Tuesday, 24 December 2024 5:59 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 24 December 2024 5:59 PM ]

The file photo shows a cholera-infected patient receive medical treatment at a hospital in Aden, Yemen.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised the alarm over the health situation in Yemen, saying the country is bearing “the highest burden” of cholera globally.

The United Nations agency made the warning in a statement on Monday, saying Yemen has reported 249,900 suspected cases of cholera and 861 associated deaths in 2024 alone.

These numbers accounted for 35 percent of the global cholera cases and 18 percent of deaths, it added.

The WHO went on to say that the number of cholera cases in November surged by 37 percent compared to the same period last year, with death rates increasing by 27 percent.

The increase this year is “largely due to updated data” from Yemen, with adjustments made to account for more detailed information from all governorates, the global health body noted.

One child in Yemen dies every five minutes as half of medical facilities are out of service: Health Ministry

The spokesman for Yemen’s health ministry says at least one child dies every five minutes in the country because of the brutal Saudi-led blockade.

Arturo Pesigan, WHO Representative in Yemen, also said, “The outbreak of waterborne diseases like cholera and acute watery diarrhoea imposes an additional burden on an already stressed health system facing multiple disease outbreaks.”

“WHO and humanitarian actors are strained in their efforts to address the increasing needs due to severe funding shortages.”

Pesigan went on to say that a lack of access to safe drinking water, poor community hygiene practices and limited access to timely treatment further hinder efforts to prevent and control the disease.

The WHO further underscored that addressing cholera in Yemen requires “urgent and comprehensive” interventions, emphasizing the need for timely and sufficient funding to address the dire situation effectively.

Yemen suffers the world's worst epidemic disaster

Yemeni health officials are warning about the use of internationally prohibited weapons by the Saudi-led coalition having dramatically pushed up cases of congenital anomalies.

According to the UN agency, Yemen has experienced persistent cholera transmissions for many years, including the world’s largest outbreak in recent history from 2017 to 2020, which saw over 2.5 million cases and 4,000 deaths.

As many as four million people contract cholera every year globally, the WHO said.

The health situation continues to worsen in Yemen as the country is reeling from the impact of sanctions imposed by the United States and Britain.

In February last year, the US and Britain announced sanctions against certain members of Yemen’s Ansarullah resistance movement. The move came amid escalated tensions over the targeting of Israel-linked shipping in the Red Sea.

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