Suspected cholera cases in Yemen soar to 460,000: UN

YemenExtra

SH.A.

The United Nations says war-torn Yemen has seen a sharp rise in the number of suspected cholera cases, as more than 460,000 cases have been recorded so far this year, compared to 380,000 cases for all of 2018.

UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq further said on Monday that 705 apparent cholera deaths had been documented since January, a dramatic increase from the 75 deaths reported in the same period last year.

He blamed the speed at which the disease spread across the country on recent flash flooding, poor maintenance of waste management systems, and a lack of access to clean water for drinking or irrigation.

There are about 1,200 cholera treatment facilities across Yemen that are being operated by the UN and its partners, but Haq warned that “funding remains an urgent issue.”

Only 32 percent of the UN humanitarian appeal for the 4.2 billion dollars to help over 20 million Yemenis this year has been supplied.

Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection that spreads through contaminated food or water. It can be effectively treated with the immediate replacement of lost fluids and salts, but without treatment, it can be fatal.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its allies invaded Yemen in March 2015 with the aim of bringing a former regime to power.

The ongoing Saudi-led war has destroyed much of Yemen’s infrastructure, including critically in the health sector.

The UN says over 24 million Yemenis are in dire need of humanitarian aid, including 10 million suffering from extreme levels of hunger, as a result of the war.

The cholera outbreak also started after the war was launched.

Caused by a water-borne bacterial infection, cholera is transmitted through contaminated food or water, or contact with fecal matter or vomit from infected people.

A patient can lose up to 25 liters of fluid per day. Cholera can cause severe diarrhea and vomiting, and rapidly prove fatal, within hours, if not treated. But cholera is very simple to treat – most patients respond well to oral rehydration salts, which are easy to administer. In more serious cases, intravenous fluids are required.

Ultimately, no-one should die of cholera but in Yemen, hundreds do each year.