IOM in Haradh on the Yemen-Saudi Arabia border yesterday took delivery of a consignment of essential medicines and medical supplies donated by the Italian government aid agency - Cooperazione Italiana.

The consignment was part of a 35-tonne Italian donation of medicine, high energy biscuits and blankets destined for conflict-displaced people and stranded migrants in Yemen, which included three supplementary health kits - each designed to treat a population of 10,000 people for three months.

IOM is working closely with Yemen's Ministry of Health and Executive Unit for Internally Displaced Persons to distribute part of the aid in Haradh, Abyan and Al-Jawf governorates.

The Haradh delivery came at a critical time when some 3,000 migrants, mainly from the Horn of Africa and stranded en route to Saudi Arabia, are struggling with an outbreak of dengue hemorrhagic fever spread by mosquitoes in the town and its surroundings.

The outbreak has spread due to lack of shelter and mosquito nets, and malnutrition among the migrants, which weakens their immune systems.

IOM's Haradh clinic and partner hospitals have treated 76 people for the disease since the beginning of April, two of whom subsequently died from dengue shock syndrome.

IOM is working closely with the Ministry of Public Health and the WHO in Haradh to contain the outbreak.

IOM Haradh has also received its first referral of land mine injuries among migrants. Three people tried to enter Saudi Arabia through Sa'ada governorate, which is littered with land mines as a result of fighting between the Houthi clan and government forces. Two of the three were severely injured and all three are currently being treated by MSF.

In March IOM was forced to suspend its assisted voluntary return programme for stranded migrants in Haradh due to lack of funding. The project helped over 6,000 stranded Ethiopian migrants to fly home.