The World Health Organization and a Yemeni health official have reported a massive cholera epidemic has hit Yemen. The disease has claimed the lives of 800 people in the past month while 100,000 are sick with the disease.
Officials are working towards controlling the spread of this disease. A spokesperson for WHO in Geneva, Tarik Jasarevic said, “In the area, they are affected by direct fighting. There are less health services available. We know that in many districts, there are no doctors left, and only about half of health facilities are functional. Others are closed or functioning just partially.”
UNICEF released a joint statement with WHO that reported among the affected 46% of them are children under the age of 15.
Dr. Meritxell Relano, UNICEF’s representative in Yemen said, “ The cholera outbreak is making a bad situation for children drastically worse. Many of the children who have died from the disease were also acutely malnourished.”
The United Arab Emirates has sent an aid flight carrying 50 tons of cholera treatments to the Southern city of Aden.
Dr. Relano also said, “Today, life for children in Yemen is a desperate struggle for survival, with cholera, malnutrition, and the relentless violence constantly sounding a death knell at their doorsteps.”
Unhygienic food or contaminated water can lead to Cholera, an acute diarrheal disease. It is caused by the bacteria called Vibrio Cholerae. The bacteria is dangerous and can kill the victim within hours if it’s not treated.
Avoiding an outburst of cholera would require clean water and basic hygiene needs. But in a war torn place like Yemen, it is hard to provide sanitation to all. WHO has reported that 14.5 million people in Yemen have no access to clean water.
Tarik Jasarevic spoke about the outbreak, “Basically, the problem is not being able to address the core issues.” Jasarevic said, “That’s really, first, it’s clean water and treatment centers because Cholera is easily treatable.”
