The threat of cholrea,
A cholera outbreak that has claimed more than 2,200 lives in Yemen is likely to intensify next month when the rainy season begins, international aid organisations say.
More than 1 million cholera cases have been reported since April last year, making it the largest outbreak of the disease in history, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Although cases of cholera flare up during the rainy season in Yemen, the poorest country in the region, its ability to combat disease has been reduced by three years of civil war.
Diphtheria, a deadly infectious disease once thought to have been largely eradicated, has now joined cholera as a public-health menace in Yemen. First detected last year, it had caused 59 deaths among 914 suspected cases by early February, according to the World Health Organisation.
Many of Yemen’s medical facilities have been damaged in the war, and distributing aid has become difficult because of blockades and checkpoints imposed by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels and government forces. The Houthi takeover of Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, prompted a Saudi-led Arab coalition, which includes the UAE, to intervene on behalf of the government.
The southern port city of Aden, the interim capital, and other areas under government control have been bolstered by humanitarian aid from the coalition and international organisations and are substantially better equipped to deal with outbreaks of disease than areas under rebel control.
According to Unicef, 70 per cent of Yemenis are in need of aid and 82 per cent of all cholera cases were in the northern part of the country, which is largely controlled by the rebels.
The UN Security Council said this month that conditions in Yemen were deteriorating, with 22.2 million in need of humanitarian assistance out of a population of 27 million.
The Red Cross has more than doubled its Yemen budget for this year to meet the increased humanitarian burden.
Although organisations such as the Red Cross and the Emirates Red Crescent, which has spent almost Dh10 billion in Yemen since the war began, have increased their efforts, support is not universal as other humanitarian disasters occupy much of the international aid community’s attention.
“Yemen doesn’t get the same attention as conflicts like Syria, but the situation is disheartening for children – 11.3 million children in Yemen are in need of assistance,” said Bismarck Swangin, spokesman for Unicef Yemen.
The Houthi-controlled north is often subject to the worst of the humanitarian crisis, he said. This is in large part due to obstacles faced by international organisations’ attempts to provide assistance there.
Several UN-chartered ships with food supplies have been forced to turn back after shelling by the Houthis.
UN reports of Iranian weaponry entering Yemen have prompted the coalition to impose a strict inspection process on all cargo headed to Hodeidah, the country’s largest port still under Houthi control.
The coalition denies claims that it has blocked the port. Its spokesman, Col Turki Al Maliki, said last week that the port was open and the coalition carried out inspection procedures with the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism.
“The coalition co-operates closely with Unvim to ensure a safe and regulated environment for shipping, commercial and humanitarian,” Col Maliki said. He accused the Houthis of levying fees on critical goods to fund their war chest, and Iran of smuggling in weapons for the rebels.
Given the threat of another cholera outbreak in Yemen, providing medical equipment and bolstering hospitals is the greatest need. Although the rate of cholera infections has dropped, it remains the worst health crisis for a preventable disease in modern times.
“While this outbreak has clearly plateaued, the rainy season ahead significantly increases the risk of a re-emergence of waterborne diseases, and there is therefore a serious concern around it,” a Red Cross spokesperson said.