Yemen Crisis: Cholera Epidemic Likely To Intensify In Coming Months
Local Editor
The World Health Organization warned on Monday that a cholera epidemic in Yemen that killed more than 2,000 people could flare up again in the rainy season.
WHO Deputy Director General for Emergency Preparedness and Response Peter Salama said the number of cholera infections had been in decline in Yemen over the past 20 weeks after it hit the 1 million mark of suspected cases.
"However, the real problem is we're entering another phase of rainy seasons," Salama told Reuters on the sidelines of an international aid conference in Riyadh.
"Usually cholera cases increase corresponding to those rainy seasons. So we expect one surge in April, and another potential surge in August."
Yemen relies heavily on food imports and is on the brink of famine. The United Nations says more than 22 million of Yemen's 25 million population need humanitarian assistance, including 11.3 million who are in acute need.
Since the conflict escalated in March 2015, nearly 2 million children are out of school, including almost half a million who dropped out. Also, health workers and teachers have been only partially paid for over a year, affecting education for 4.5 million children.
At the end of September 2017, 256 schools were reported totally destroyed, 150 schools were occupied by displaced people, and 23 by armed groups.
Both cholera and diphtheria outbreaks are a product of the damage to the health system in the country, and less than half of Yemen's health facilities are fully functioning.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
Comments
- Related News
