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YEMEN – At least 193 cholera-related deaths have been reported in children
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By mid-2019, there are already more suspected cases of cholera than in the whole of 2018
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Some 203,000 children out of a total of 439,812[i] suspected cases of cholera
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At least 193 cholera-related deaths reported in children
Save the Children warns that the fight against cholera in Yemen is far from over: the number of suspected cases has already exceeded 2018, including 203,000 children under 15 years. At least 193 children died of cholera-related illnesses in 2019[ii].
The warning comes at a critical time. The rainy season is likely to lead to an escalation of the epidemic – there are already floods and more and more showers threaten to intensify the spread of waterborne disease.
The total number of deaths related to cholera has also increased. In the first six months of 2019, the number of people dying from a suspected cholera case was nine times higher than during the same period last year. The mortality rate has doubled[iii].
The conflict in Yemen has disabled much of the infrastructure for safe water supply and sanitation, leaving some 9.2 million children without access to safe water[iv]. Fuel availability fluctuates, limiting the pumping of wastewater and garbage collection, leaving many areas of Yemen as fertile ground for infectious and waterborne diseases such as cholera.
Malnourished children are extremely vulnerable to cholera-related diseases – because of the weakness of their immune system, they are at least three times more likely to die when they contract cholera.[v]. Diarrheal diseases such as cholera also contribute significantly to malnutrition in Yemen.
Tamer Kirolos, national director of Save the Children in Yemen, said: "There are now many disease epidemics due to the collapse of the health system and weak sanitation systems and a population that has become increasingly and more vulnerable by forced displacement and malnutrition. The health system is under considerable stress, with only half of health facilities functioning, the others remaining closed or partially functional.
The number of suspected cases has been relatively stable for a few weeks, but the disease is endemic and we fear a sharp increase due to rains and floods. As long as the conflict is raging, drinking water systems are deteriorating and funding for aid in Yemen remains too low, we can only make sure that we keep as much life as possible. children as possible. "
Save the Children supports oral rehydration centers and primary health care in health facilities in most districts of Yemen. In addition, she runs water purification and disease prevention awareness programs in communities – but only an end to the war can protect children from widespread cholera, the organization said.
Save the Children calls on the warring parties in Yemen to resume the implementation of the Stockholm agreement and to work for a lasting peace. Urgent action is needed to restore the health system and enable it to function, otherwise it risks losing even more people to preventable diseases such as cholera. Save the Children calls on the Yemeni authorities to ensure the regular and full payment of the salaries of civil servants, especially health workers and teachers, and to provide health facilities with the staff they urgently need to ensure continuity of essential health services.
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[i] Cholera Epidemic Monitor (COM), see: http://yemeneoc.org/bi/ [ii] Monitor for cholera outbreaks, see: http://yemeneoc.org/bi/ [iii] According to COM, the number of suspected cholera cases in the first six months of 2018 was 93,237, and the number of badociated deaths was 76. In the first six months of 2019, the total number of cases was 439,812 (approximately 4.5 times higher). that in the same period in 2018, the number of deaths is 695 (nine times higher than in the first half of 2018). [iv] See https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/2019_Yemen_HNO … (p13). [v] Malnourished children are 6.3 times (severe acute malnutrition) and 2.9 times (moderate acute malnutrition) more likely to die from diarrheal diseases than well-nourished children. See here for more information: http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/Lancetseries_Undernutrition1.pdfSource link
