UN: 460,000 Suspected cholera cases documented in Yemen since January

SANAA, July 9 (YPA) – The UN deputy spokesman of Untied Nations, Farhan Haq said on Monday that the number of cholera cases have been documented since January are 460,000 suspected cases, including some 200,000 children.

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.

There are about 1,200 cholera treatment facilities across Yemen that are being operated by the UN and its partners,he added, 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.

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.

E.M