Outbreak of cholera kills 115 people

SANAA // A cholera outbreak in Yemen has killed 115 people and left 8,500 ill as hospitals struggle to cope with an influx of patients, the International Committee of the Red Cross said yesterday.

Quoting figures from the Yemeni health ministry, the Red Cross said 115 people died of cholera between April 27 and Saturday. More than 8,500 suspected cases of the waterborne disease were reported in the same period in 14 governorates across Yemen, up from 2,300 cases in 10 governorates last week.

It is the second outbreak of cholera in less than a year in Yemen, where the government is battling the Shiite Houthi rebels.

More than two and a half years into the conflict, less than half of Yemen’s healthcare facilities are functioning.

The Red Cross said hospitals were filled beyond capacity with patients displaying symptoms of cholera, a bacterial infection contracted through ingesting contaminated food or water.

“There are up to four cholera patients in one single bed,” said a spokesman.

“There are people in the garden, and some even in their cars with the IV drip hanging from the window.”

The World Health Organisation now classifies Yemen as one of the worst humanitarian emergencies alongside Syria, South Sudan, Nigeria and Iraq.