Report :Diphtheria outbreak in Yemen kills 91 citizens: WHO

SANAA, May 13 (YPA)- The World Health Organization (WHO) said that the diphtheria Sunday outbreak has killed at least 91 people in Yemen since late October.

A total of 1,725 suspected cases of diphtheria have recorded in 20 Yemeni provinces, compared to 1,516 suspected diphtheria cases with 84 associated deaths reported on April 3.

Diphtheria, which spreads through sneezing caused by a common cold, has mainly infected children in Yemen.

Also in the same day, a UN-backed national campaign waged for immunizing children against diphtheria.

The WHO, the UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and Yemeni health authorities launched a large-scale vaccination campaign across the country to fight  the disease in March.

Saudi-led coalition states have been leading military actions and intervened in Yemen’s internal affairs coalition since 2015 against the Yemeni army and people in flagrant violations of the international law.

Ali Ahsan