Spotlight: Yemen in urgency as cholera outbreak worsens in rainy season

by Mohamed al-Azaki

SANAA, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Tens of thousands of Yemenis are exposed to deadly cholera epidemic in the coming rainy season starting in July, because of the country's damaged health system, the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) head of mission told Xinhua in an interview on Sunday.

"Considering the coming rainy season starting in July and very poor hygiene conditions in local communities, we have a concern that tens of thousands of people are exposed to the risk," Shinjiro Maurata, MSF head of mission in Yemen told Xinhua in the interview.

Maurata said the cholera outbreak is no longer appropriate to explain today's situation in Yemen.

According to the latest statistics released by the Yemeni Ministry of Health on Sunday, a total of 315 people died in the last three weeks from the cholera epidemic, and suspected cases have increased up to 29,000 cases in 18 of Yemen's 23 provinces since April 27.

The epidemic began in the war-torn country in mid-October 2016 and spread until December.

The death toll of the first outbreak wave reached 11 out of 180 confirmed cases, while suspected cases reached 15,658, according to a joint report by the Yemeni health ministry and several UN bodies.

"This is not just an outbreak but an epidemic," Maurata said, adding that the reason why Yemen has faced this epidemic is "partly because of the damaged health system due to the war."

The Yemeni Ministry of Health has faced an extremely limited financial capacity, Maurata said, and none of the health staff in Yemen have been paid their salary since last September.

"It is clear that no local health facilities have capacity to deal with the epidemic without the humanitarian assistance from international NGOs, like MSF and UN agencies," Maurata said.

"Victims of a war do not always mean only death cases in battles and war wounded patients," Maurata said.

"In Yemen, due to the war, millions of people have been displaced from their origins internally. The health conditions of women and children has been deteriorating. This endemic of Cholera is cornering the local population in Yemen to the further distress," he added.

Yemen, the impoverished Arab country in the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, has been involved in civil war since two years ago.

The war pits Iranian-allied dominant Houthi movement, backed by forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, against their foe of Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

Sanaa, the capital, and most of the northern provinces are under control of Houthi movement.

The war and airstrikes have killed more than 10,000 Yemenis, half of them civilians, and displaced over two millions, according to UN humanitarian agencies.

Since the end of March 2017, MSF has treated 4,480 patients in its Cholera Treatment Centers set up in six Yemeni governorates, Maurata said, and this number has kept increasing every day.

For instance, in Hajjah Governorate, every day over 200 patients arrived at MSF centers last week, which was almost double of a month ago, Maurata said, and they came from more than 14 different districts, tens of kilometres away.

"In order to cope with the situation, MSF in Yemen will receive 64 tons of emergency medical supplies in the coming days," he said.

"The humanitarian communities must admit that we are so behind the epidemic. MSF calls for the urgent increase of the humanitarian assistance in Yemen," Maurata said. "A smooth collaboration between health actors and relevant official authorities are also needed to control the situation," he added.