WHO reports threefold rise in suspected cholera cases in Yemen — Al Jazeera

In Yemen, the number of suspected cholera cases tripled over the past three weeks, from 217 during the week of September 6–12 to 647 during the week of September 27–October 3. The World Health Organization reported this amid renewed fighting that has forced more than 200,000 people to flee their homes, Al Jazeera reports.

More than 8,000 suspected cases

Since the beginning of the year, 8,034 suspected cholera cases and 27 deaths have been recorded in the country. A quarter of all suspected cases occurred in the past four weeks, the WHO said.

According to the organization, 92% of recorded cases are concentrated in five governorates in southwestern Yemen, which host a significant number of displaced people: Abyan, Lahij, Al-Dhalea, Taiz and Aden. The disease has also spread to remote camps for displaced people in the eastern governorate of Hadramout, which are difficult for medical teams to reach.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Insufficient funding for the emergency response

WHO Regional Emergency Director Annette Heinzelmann said that families fleeing the conflict are simultaneously facing the threat of preventable and treatable diseases. She stressed the need for unhindered access to safe water, vaccination and essential health services.

The WHO needs $31 million for a 90-day emergency response in Yemen, but the organization has received only $3.78 million. The funds are planned to be directed toward surveillance at sites hosting displaced people, the work of rapid response teams, cholera treatment, and infection prevention at healthcare facilities and cholera treatment centers.