‘Nearly 1,900 die of cholera in Yemen in three months’
RIYADH: In the last three months, 400,000 suspected cases of cholera and nearly 1,900 associated deaths have been recorded in Yemen, according to a joint statement issued by UNICEF, World Health Organization (WHO) and World Food Programme (WFP).
Following their joint visit to Yemen, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, WFP Executive Director David Beasley, and WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued the statement.
“We have traveled together to Yemen to see for ourselves the scale of this humanitarian crisis and to step up our combined efforts to help the people of Yemen.”
Describing the situation as “the world’s worst cholera outbreak in the midst of the world’s largest humanitarian crisis,” the trio reported that 400,000 suspected cases of cholera and 1,900 related deaths have been recorded, with basic water and sanitation facilities crippled by over two years of hostility. This has created a situation that only increases the likelihood of a greater spread of the disease.
“Amid this chaos, some 16,000 volunteers go house to house, providing families with information on how to protect themselves from diarrhea and cholera. Doctors, nurses and other essential health staff are working around the clock to save lives.”
However, more than 30,000 health workers have not been paid in over 10 months, but continue to work.
Lake, Beasley and Ghebreyesus called on the international community to redouble its support for the people of Yemen.