Yemen Crisis: Diphtheria Outbreak Kills 35, WHO Warns
Local Editor
A diphtheria outbreak has so far claimed the lives of 35 people in war-torn Yemen, according to the World Health Organization [WHO].
In a statement on Monday, the WHO said 300 suspected cases of diphtheria have been reported in 15 of Yemen's 23 provinces.
Ibb and al-Hodeidah provinces in central and western Yemen were the hardest-hit by the diseases, the UN agency said.
It said most of the cases and deaths involved children aged between 5 and 15.
Diphtheria spreads as easily as the common cold through sneezing, coughing or even talking, health officials said.
Mainly affecting children, diphtheria can cause devastating epidemics if left unchecked.
Saudi Arabia has been leading an aggression against Yemen since March 2015, when the oil-rich Kingdom intervened to push back Ansarullah revolutionaries and allied troops, and reinstate the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
The war has taken a huge toll on Yemen with more than 10,000 civilians losing their lives and millions of Yemenis being left without basic necessities.
Last week, the UN warned that some 8.4 million people "are a step away from famine" in Yemen, which is already battling a massive cholera epidemic.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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