Yemen Humanitarian Bulletin Issue 26 | 14 August 2017 [EN/AR]

HIGHLIGHTS

• Over 494,000 suspected cholera cases and 1,966 deaths were reported in under four months.

• Two million Yemenis are displaced; one million have returned to their homes.

• In two separate incidents, 280 migrants were forced off boats near the Yemeni coast, killing scores of them.

• An airstrike in Sa’ada killed 12 people, including women and children, on 4 August.

Cholera crisis far from over

Over 494,000 suspected cases and 1,966 deaths in less than four months

The cholera outbreak in Yemen has claimed some 1,966 lives in less than four months and more than 5,000 people are falling ill every day with symptoms of acute watery diarrhoea/cholera. All governorates have been affected, except Socotra. Children and the elderly are the hardest hit: more than 41 per cent of the suspected cases since 27 April and a quarter of the deaths are children, while people over 60 represent 30 per cent of fatalities.

The outbreak is man-made; more than two years of conflict have severely degraded sanitation systems, health services and other public institutions. More than half of all health facilities have closed or are only partially functional, leaving 14.8 million people without adequate access to healthcare. Some 15.7 million people can no longer access clean water and sanitation because infrastructure is disrupted or damaged. Thirty thousand health workers have been paid erratically or not at all for almost a year, which has greatly affected services through absenteeism and reduced commitment.

The outbreak is currently the worst in the world. It has significantly worsened what was already one of the world’s largest humanitarian crisis: more than 60 per cent of the population are facing the threat of food insecurity, seven million people are severely food insecure and two million children are acutely malnourished. Malnourished children, pregnant women and people living with other chronic health conditions are at greater risk of death as they face the “triple threat” of conflict, famine and cholera.