Cholera cases in Yemen likely to double: Red Cross

MUSCAT: Cholera will strike twice as many Yemenis by the end of 2017, according to the experts of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), as the rainy season may spur a further outbreak.

The ICRC expects the cholera crisis to infect one in every 45 Yemenis by the end of the year, as less than 45 per cent of Yemen’s medical facilities are operational.

The ICRC has termed Yemen’s outbreak, “the world’s single largest humanitarian crisis,” with over 20 million people needing aid.

“The great tragedy is that this cholera outbreak is a preventable, man-made humanitarian catastrophe. It is a direct consequence of a conflict that has devastated civilian infrastructure and brought the whole health system to its knees,” said ICRC President, Peter Maurer, after arriving for a five-day trip to Yemen.

“I find this needless suffering absolutely infuriating. The world is sleep walking into yet more tragedy. Further deaths can be prevented, but warring parties must ease curbs and allow the import of medicines, food and essential supplies and they must show restraint in the way they conduct warfare,” Maurer added.

Yemen has suffered a countrywide destruction of sewage networks and water treatment stations. According to the ICRC, limited medical resources could lead to the outbreak of other diseases, such as malaria or dengue that may go untreated and lead to further deaths.