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Yemen Cholera Outbreak: Situation Now Worst In Modern History At 360K+ Cases

Yemen Cholera Outbreak: Situation Now Worst In Modern History At 360K+ Cases
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Yemen's cholera epidemic is now the single biggest outbreak of the disease since records began, as more than 360,000 people have been infected while the country struggles with famine and imminent state collapse.

Yemen Cholera Outbreak: Situation Now Worst In Modern History At 360K+ Cases

Since the first suspected case was recorded in March the outbreak has surpassed its previous annual record of new cases set by Haiti in 2011 340,311, Oxfam said on Friday, and has the potential to infect over 600,000 people.

Almost 2,000 people have already died from the acute diarrheal infection caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water. Cholera can kill the old, young and otherwise sick in hours if fluids are not replaced.

Around half of cases and a quarter of the dead so far are children under the age of 15, the World Health Organization [WHO] said earlier this month.

Meanwhile, overwhelmed medical staff are dealing with cholera in all 22 of Yemen's provinces. While in some regions the initial rapid increase in suspected cases is slowing, in areas affected by the worst fighting the disease is still spreading rapidly - and the approaching rainy season is likely to make matters worse, Oxfam warned.

"This is a massive crisis needing a massive response - if anything the numbers we have are likely to underestimate the scale of the crisis. So far funding from government donors to pay for the aid effort has been lackluster at best, less than half is what is needed," said Oxfam's Humanitarian Director Neil Timmis in a statement after his return from a fact finding mission to the country.

While cholera is easily treatable - and preventable - with proper sanitation procedures, after more than two years of war, Yemen's health, water and sanitation systems are on the verge of collapse.

Less than half of the country's medical centers are still functional, 14.5 million people don't have regular access to clean water, and in several provinces health and sanitation workers have not been paid in months.

The circumstances have made it difficult for international aid organizations to operate. Last week, the UN said that up to one million doses of cholera vaccines may have to be diverted elsewhere thanks to logistical difficulties caused by the Saudi-led siege on the country.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

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