Yemen Records 400,000 Cholera Cases

Tents set up at Alsabeen hospital in Sana'a Yemen for screening suspected cholera cases.By Roshni MajumdarUNITED NATIONS, Jul 27 2017 (IPS)The directors of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme (WFP) and World Health Organization (WHO) released a joint statement today shedding light on a deadly cholera epidemic engulfing war-torn Yemen. More than 400,000 cases of cholera are suspected, and nearly 1,900 people have died from associated cases in the last three months alone.The dire situation results from a culmination of factors, such as modern tactics of warfare that destroy water pipelines, as well as continuous bombing of schools and hospitals. More than 60 percent of the population remains uncertain of their next meal as famine looms.Nearly 2 million children are suffering from malnutrition, and are easy targets of the water-borne disease. The report estimates that nearly 80 percent of all children need immediate humanitarian assistance.Amid the lack of adequate international support, community leaders have stepped up to the task—more than 16,000 volunteers visit families from door-to-door to raise awareness about cholera, and assist them with information to protect themselves.Many health-care workers, as many as 30,000, haven’t been paid in nearly 10 months. Still, that doesn’t keep them from their work.Similarly, international organisations like UNICEF and WHO have set up nearly 1,000 diarrhoea treatment centers to provide key supplies, like food a...

Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - July 27, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Roshni Majumdar Tags: Aid Armed Conflicts Crime & Justice Featured Food & Agriculture Headlines Health Human Rights Humanitarian Emergencies Middle East & North Africa Poverty & SDGs TerraViva United Nations Women's Health Source Type: news