Cholera Outbreak Sparks Emergency in Sana’a

Authorities in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a, controlled by the Houthi movement, have declared a state of emergency after an outbreak of cholera, which has killed dozens of people.

In a statement released overnight, the health ministry said it was “unable to contain this disaster” and appealed for international humanitarian assistance to deal with the “unprecedented disaster”, France24 reported.

The health system in the world’s poorest Arab nation has been severely degraded by more than two years of war that killed more than 10,000 people and displaced millions.

Almost daily airstrikes by the western-backed, Saudi-led coalition, have damaged infrastructure and the health services sector. Only a few medical facilities are still functioning and two-thirds of the population are without access to safe drinking water, the United Nations has said. This is the second outbreak of cholera in less than a year in Yemen.

The diarrheal disease has killed 51 people since April 27, the World Health Organization said on Thursday, and 2,752 people are suspected cases. Fifty-eight more cases have been confirmed.

Sana’a has been worst hit by the outbreaks, followed by the surrounding province of Amanat al-Semah, WHO data showed. Cases have also been reported in other major cities, including Hodeidah, Taiz and Aden.

World Health Organization said 7.6 million people live in areas at high risk of cholera transmission.

Some 17 million of Yemen’s 26 million people lack sufficient food and at least three million malnourished children are in “grave peril”, the UN has said.

WHO now classifies Yemen as one of the worst humanitarian emergencies in the world alongside Syria, South Sudan, Nigeria and Iraq.

Caption:  A Yemeni man suspected of being infected with cholera receives treatment at a hospital in Sana’a on May 12.