Cholera in Yemen

waltky · Dec 22, 2017

A million cases of cholera in war-torn Yemen...

Yemen cholera cases reach one million - ICRC
21 December 2017 - The number of suspected cholera cases in Yemen has reached one million, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says.

At least 2,226 people are believed to have died of the disease since April, although the number of new cases has declined for 14 consecutive weeks. The ICRC said the outbreak was "amplifying the suffering of a country caught up in a brutal war". More than 80% of Yemenis lack food, fuel, water and access to healthcare. The war between forces loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, who is backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and the rebel Houthi movement has killed more than 8,670 people since March 2015.

The outbreak peaked in June, when some 50,000 suspected cases were reported in one week

Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera. In severe cases, the disease can kill within hours if left untreated. The outbreak in Yemen peaked at the end of June, when more than 50,000 suspected cases were reported in one week across 22 out of 23 provinces. Since then, it has steadily declined. The latest figures released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday show that 7,622 suspected cases and one associated death were reported last week.

However, WHO officials have warned that there could be a new wave of cases at the beginning of the rainy season in March if the Saudi-led coalition does not ease its blockade of Yemen and allow in more food, fuel and medicines. The blockade was tightened after the Houthis fired a ballistic missile at the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in November. The coalition said it wanted to halt the smuggling of weapons to the rebels by Iran - an accusation that officials in Tehran denied - but the UN said the restrictions could trigger "the largest famine the world has seen for many decades".

Sixteen million Yemenis are cut off from regular access to clean water and sanitation

Yemen's health service has been unable to cope with the cholera outbreak, with more than half of all medical facilities closed due to damage sustained during the conflict. Hospitals have also faced crippling shortages of medicines, fuel and equipment because of the coalition blockade. Damage to infrastructure and a lack of fuel for pumping stations has also left 16 million people cut off from regular access to clean water and sanitation, increasing the likelihood of cholera spreading. Malnourished children are also at increased risk of dying from infectious diseases. In Yemen, some 1.8 million children are acutely malnourished, including 400,000 under the age of five with severe acute malnutrition.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42440805
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yiostheoy · Dec 22, 2017

Cholera strikes anytime you have too many people crowded together and sh!tting everywhere.

VotreAltesse · Dec 22, 2017

Yes but it's not our problem. That's a war between the Saudis, the yemeni governement and Iran and the houthi rebellion.

waltky · Dec 23, 2017

Preventable, Forgotten Diseases Re-emerging in Yemen...

Preventable, Forgotten Diseases Re-emerging in Besieged Yemen
December 21, 2017 — The charity, Doctors Without Borders reports preventable, long-forgotten diseases are re-emerging in Yemen due to the catastrophic war that has been going on since March 2015.

Diphtheria has been eradicated in most parts of the world. The last outbreak of this highly infectious, but preventable respiratory disease occurred in 1982 in Yemen. But, this disease has made a deadly comeback after two and one-half years of catastrophic war and the blockade of humanitarian and commercial goods imposed by Saudi Arabia. Marc Poncin is Emergency Coordinator for Doctors Without Borders in Yemen. He said an outbreak of diphtheria emerged in early October. "Today, we have a bit more than 300 cases of diphtheria, 35 deaths," he said. "So, it is a mortality rate of above 10 percent. What is really worrying with diphtheria is the mortality rate in the under-five. We have 25 percent, one out of four children dying of diphtheria in Yemen."

People fill buckets with water from a well that is alleged to be contaminated water with the bacterium Vibrio cholera, on the outskirts of Sanaa, Yemen

Unfortunately, he said the vaccines needed to prevent diphtheria and the antibiotics to treat the infection are both in short supply. Yemen is suffering the worst cholera epidemic in history. The International Committee of the Red Cross reports cholera cases in Yemen have now reached the one millionth mark. Poncin said he believes this official figure is largely exaggerated. "If you look at the mortality rate, for instance, of cholera, it has decreased a lot line in the three last months," he added. "That shows that probably most of the cases today that are reported are diarrhea, simple diarrhea, not cholera."

However, he warned this is no time for complacency. While reported cases have gone down to 15,000 a week from a high of 50,000 at the end of June, he says cholera remains a serious problem. Poncin noted worrying predictions from experts who say they expect a new wave of cholera to emerge next year during Yemen's rainy season in March and April.

https://www.voanews.com/a/preventable-forgotten-diseases-reemerging-besieged-yemen/4173653.html
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waltky · Dec 24, 2017

Yemen cholera epidemic eases but not over...

Cholera Cases in Yemen Dropping, But Epidemic Not Over
December 24, 2017 — The World Health Organization reports the number of cholera cases in war-torn Yemen has decreased significantly. But the U.N. agency warns the epidemic is far from over and more efforts are needed to contain the disease and prevent future outbreaks.

The World Health Organization says cholera cases in Yemen have topped one million over the last 14 months, confirming this as the worst cholera epidemic in history. While this is a huge number of infections, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic says the death toll of 2,227 is very low. "We are talking about one million, but it is important to understand that this is not one million people who are sick.Today, 99.7 percent of them, in fact, have survived and have recovered from cholera," he said.

A child receives a polio vaccination on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sana'a

Jasarevic said the average number of cases per week has dropped significantly over the last three months.But, he warns people must remain vigilant and not let down their guard. The spokesman says everyone must work together to make sure the disease is contained and does not come back in the future. "WHO is still supporting dehydration treatment centers… as well as continued surveillance, detection and treatment.Since the beginning of the cholera outbreak we have saved tens of thousands of lives by establishing treatment centers, delivering supplies, distributing public health guidance, training health workers and working with communities on prevention," he said.

Despite this positive assessment, Jasarevic said the health situation in Yemen remains extremely dire and prone to epidemic disease outbreaks at any time. He said matters are made worse by the inability of aid workers to access certain areas of the country and Saudi Arabia's blockade of Yemen's sea and airports.He says this is preventing the import of vaccines, medications and medical equipment that are needed to save lives.

https://www.voanews.com/a/yemen-cholera/4177173.html
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waltky · Jan 13, 2018

Cholera Vaccination Campaign Gets Underway in Zambia...

Cholera Vaccination Campaign Gets Underway in Zambia
January 10, 2018 — The Zambian Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization are beginning a cholera vaccination campaign January 10 to help stop an outbreak of this deadly disease. Latest official figures put the number of cases at 2,672, including 63 deaths.

Two rounds of immunizations are planned. At each stage, about one million people will be vaccinated against cholera. Most of those who will receive these shots live in or around the Zambian capital, Lusaka, since nearly all of the cases of this fatal disease are centered there. World Health Organization spokesman Christian Lindmeier says the WHO has helped the government plan the campaign and has trained about 500 health and community workers how to administer the vaccine.

The logo of the World Health Organization is seen at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

He agrees vaccination is an important measure in preventing the onset and spread of cholera. But he says access to clean water, proper sanitation and good hygiene are fundamental to stopping outbreaks entirely. He tells VOA the government is taking measures to remedy this situation. “First of all, it has deployed the military to clean up parts of the city where sanitation has been poor. It has also closed a market where sanitation was poor. It has banned street vending and also public gatherings and was delaying the start of the new school semester,” he said.

Cholera, an acute diarrheal disease, can kill within hours if left untreated. People become severely dehydrated and must have their lost fluids replaced quickly if they are to survive. Lindmeier says it is critical for people to have access to treatment centers where they can easily be helped through oral rehydration or, in the more serious cases, through intravenous fluids.

https://www.voanews.com/a/cholera-vaccination-campaign-zambia/4201714.html
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waltky · Jan 17, 2018

The cost of war on children...

Infants in War-torn Yemen Dying at Alarmingly High Rate
January 16, 2018 — A report by the U.N. children’s fund finds babies born in war-torn Yemen are dying at an alarmingly high rate because of the collapsing health system, lack of food and clean water.

The U.N. children’s fund reports more than three million children have been born in Yemen since the country’s civil war escalated in March 2015. The agency’s report, called "Born into War", describes the violent, hopeless situation of displacement, disease, poverty and hunger into which these children are born. UNICEF says most of the estimated 3,000 babies born every day are delivered outside a health center, with no skilled birth attendant present. It reports 40 percent of the births are premature and 30 percent suffer from low birth weight. Most worrying of all, it notes, is 25 percent of the newborns die within their first month because of infections and a variety of deprivations.

A malnourished child lies in a bed waiting to receive treatment at a therapeutic feeding center in a hospital in Sana'a, Yemen

UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac says undernutrition plays a big role in those deaths. He says around 1.8 million children are acutely malnourished and about 400,000 are severely, acutely malnourished. “A child who is suffering from severe acute malnutrition is nine times more likely to die than a child who is correctly nourished," said Boulierac. "So, these children are in danger.”

The report finds at least 5,000 children have been killed or maimed in the violence. That means an average of five children have lost their lives or been injured every day since the Saudi-led coalition began bombing Houthi rebels in support of the Yemeni government nearly three years ago. UNICEF says more than 11 million children, nearly every child in Yemen, needs humanitarian assistance to survive. And, those who do survive, it says, are likely to carry the physical and psychological scars of the brutal conflict for the rest of their lives.

https://www.voanews.com/a/babies-born-in-war-torn-yemen-dying-at-alarmingly-high-rate/4210396.html
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waltky · Aug 5, 2018

Yemen May Be on Verge of New Deadly Cholera Epidemic...

WHO: Yemen May Be on Verge of New Deadly Cholera Epidemic
August 03, 2018 — The World Health Organization (WHO) warns Yemen may be on the verge of another cholera epidemic, which could be deadlier than previous ones because of widespread malnutrition in the war-torn country.

Yemen has had two major waves of cholera epidemics in recent years. The World Health Organization reports that an increasing number of cases in several heavily populated areas over the past few weeks indicate the country may be on the cusp of a third major wave of this deadly disease.

A Yemeni woman suspected of being infected with cholera receives treatment at a hospital in the capital Sanaa

WHO's emergency response chief, Peter Salama, told VOA another cholera epidemic is likely to be more life-threatening than the previous ones because the population is seriously weakened after three years of civil war. Fighting has been raging between the government and rebel forces. "What we are likely to see is that interplay with cholera and malnutrition occurring more and more and food insecurity," he said. "And, not only more cases because of that, but even higher death rates among the cholera cases that do occur because people just do not have the physical resources to fight the disease any longer."

Public health workers spray insecticide amid fears of a new cholera outbreak in Sanaa, Yemen

The United Nations is calling for three days of tranquility between August 4 and 6. It wants the warring parties to stop fighting during this period so WHO and its partners can carry out a massive oral cholera vaccination campaign. Salama said 3,000 health workers are being mobilized in three districts in northern Yemen. Their aim is to vaccinate more than 500,000 individuals above the age of one. Last year, cholera cases in Yemen topped one million in the world's worst outbreak of the disease.

https://www.voanews.com/a/who-yemen-may-be-on-verge-of-new-deadly-cholera-epidemic/4512675.html
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MGB ROADSTER · Aug 7, 2018

VotreAltesse said: ↑

Yes but it's not our problem. That's a war between the Saudis, the yemeni governement and Iran and the houthi rebellion.
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You prefer Saudi and Yemeni illegal immigrants ?

Margot2 · Aug 7, 2018

VotreAltesse said: ↑

Yes but it's not our problem. That's a war between the Saudis, the yemeni governement and Iran and the houthi rebellion.
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Actually it is.. 15 billion dollars in shipping pass thru the Bab al Mandab every day including lots of oil for Europe.

Margot2 · Aug 7, 2018

MGB ROADSTER said: ↑

You prefer Saudi and Yemeni illegal immigrants ?
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Very , very few Saudis immigrate. They go to school in the US and go home.

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Cholera in Yemen

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Cholera in Yemen

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