Geneva, Sept. 30 (SANA) The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Tuesday that escalating violence in Yemen is pushing the country’s health system, already weakened by more than a decade of conflict, toward collapse amid a rising casualty toll and fears of wider outbreaks of cholera, measles and dengue fever.
AFP quoted WHO Regional Emergency Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Annette Heinzelmann as telling reporters that health authorities in Aden had recorded 4,481 people killed or injured since Aug. 6, including more than 830 deaths.
She said only about 60 percent of health facilities were fully operational even before the latest escalation, with limited capacity for trauma surgery, blood transfusions and intensive care.
Health facilities under mounting pressure
Heinzelmann said comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care had been suspended at two hospitals in Marib and Ras Al-Arah after staff and operating capacity were redirected to treating people wounded in the fighting.
Insecurity, damaged infrastructure, the displacement of health workers, shortages of medicines and medical supplies, and difficulties accessing areas along the western coast are disrupting the regular provision of healthcare services, she said.
Nine health facilities have been damaged or directly attacked, mostly near Taiz, Lahj and Hudaydah, while more than 20 WHO-supported mobile medical teams have been deployed across priority governorates receiving displaced people.
Disease outbreaks threaten displaced communities
Heinzelmann warned that disease outbreaks could worsen as displacement sites become increasingly overcrowded and sanitation conditions deteriorate, with unsafe water and poor sanitation at temporary shelters heightening the risk of a wider cholera outbreak.
Yemen has recorded 7,784 suspected cases of cholera or acute watery diarrhea since the beginning of the year, including 22 deaths, as well as 9,604 dengue fever cases with 37 deaths. More than 22,000 suspected measles cases and 128 deaths have also been reported.
More than 180,000 people have been displaced by the renewed fighting, according to WHO, further increasing demand for maternal and child healthcare, nutrition services, vaccinations and mental health support.
Lifesaving supplies running out
WHO has dispatched nearly 60 tonnes of medical supplies, worth about $656,000, to 40 facilities and offices across 10 governorates. However, several lifesaving supplies at its Aden warehouse have already run out, including trauma kits and essential medicines.
The organization called for urgent funding for its health response, saying it has received only $2 million of the $9 million required for its operations in Yemen.
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