Deadly disease kills African migrants, causes panic among residents in Shabwa

SHABWA, Aug. 14 (YPA) – An outbreak of acute watery diarrhea at the “Rafad” migrant camp in Al-Saeed District in the Saudi-controlled Shabwa province in southeastern Yemen, has resulted in multiple deaths and infected around 1,000 African migrants, amid severe medical shortages and deteriorating health conditions.

Health sources in the governorate confirmed the fatalities and stated that infections have crossed the 1,000-case mark at the camp, which lacks basic humanitarian and healthcare infrastructure.

Sources added that some local healthcare workers have had to purchase medicines at their own expense to respond to the crisis.

The camp is located in a mountainous area 75 kilometers southeast of the governorate’s capital, Ataq. Local residents in the Al-Saeed have expressed growing concerns over potential transmission, as the waterborne outbreak coincides with the rainy season and seasonal floodwaters in nearby valleys.

YPA