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Yemen

Yemen Humanitarian Bulletin #7 - June 2023 [EN/AR]

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INTRODUCTION TO ROOTED IN TRUST

Rooted in Trust (RiT) is a project run by Internews to support humanitarian and public health agencies, our work also includes cooperation with community actors, CSOs and community health workers to strengthen information ecosystems. The project ensures that all Information Ecosystem actors better respond to communities’ needs and manage the spread of rumors and misinformation health issues. Additionally, the project tracks misinformation on diseases like malaria, cholera, and dengue fever in the affected areas of north and south Yemen with a focus on IDPs and marginalized people.

In this bulletin, Internews profiles commonly occurring rumors across Yemeni social media and through offline and face-to-face collection in the month of June 2023.

During this period 422 rumors were collected as follows: Face to face (54), Social Media (368). The rumor collection was done online on Facebook and Twitter accounts and offline via face-to-face and private in-person group activities, as well as other community engagement activities. Rumors were subsequently selected for this bulletin based on the recurring themes of “Children / Vaccination Programs”.

HEALTH SITUATION IN YEMEN

As the health system is deteriorating in Yemen, and access to health care became more difficult, it is reported that more than 10 million children and close to 5 million women cannot properly access health services. Since the ceasefire, the level of conflict has diminished. However, the aftermath has brought about a deteriorating health and humanitarian emergency. The scarcity of medical resources and personnel persists, making primary healthcare unaffordable for many amidst an economy in ruins. Disturbingly high rates of malnutrition were recorded, and the absence of regular vaccination services has resulted in outbreaks of preventable illnesses such as measles, tetanus, and diphtheria.

Yemen recorded more than 22,000 measles cases in 2022, including 161 deaths. In 2023, to date, cases have already spiked to 9,418, with 77 children dead. Diphtheria and pertussis – whooping cough – cases are also on the rise, as are deaths from each disease. In the first quarter 2023, more than 13,000 new cases of measles, 8,777 cases of dengue fever, and 2,080 suspected cholera cases were reported. But the actual numbers are likely much higher, due to gaps in surveillance system. As of 22 June 2023, a total of 25,935 suspected cases of measles have been reported, with 1,406 laboratory-confirmed cases and 259 deaths across all governorates of Yemen this year.

While multiple measles and polio vaccination campaigns led by the authorities and supported by UNICEF and WHO have been implemented in the governorates under the control of the Internationally Recognized Government over the past two years, the ongoing deadlock in the northern governorates over supplementary immunization activities puts children there at particular risk. The restriction of vaccination campaigns to only fixed-site health facilities, combined with prohibition of integrated community outreach services in all northern governorates, has led to continued multiple outbreaks of polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases, specifically measles and diphtheria. However, following a series of intensive engagements with the authorities in the De facto authorities areas, a measles outbreak response vaccination campaign is planned to be conducted in the 3rd quarter of 2023, covering all governorates and targeting 5.7 million children between 6 and 59 months of age.