WHO: Suspected cholera cases surging in Yemen

Suspected cholera cases have tripled in Yemen within three weeks, according to WHO, exacerbating the stress on hospitals burdened by war casualties. Factors such as war, displacement, and lack of access to clean water elevate the outbreak risk. WHO: Suspected cholera cases surging in Yemen Suspected cholera cases tripled in three weeks in Yemen, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, warning that the growing disease burden was straining hospitals already treating war casualties.

The country's escalating war, combined with mass displacement, is fuelling the risk of infectious disease outbreaks, the WHO said. Overcrowding, inadequate access to safe water and disrupted health services are exposing growing numbers of people to cholera, measles and other preventable diseases, it said. Suspected cholera cases have tripled from 217 in the week of 6-12 September to 647 in the week of 27 September to 3 October, the WHO said.

The UN health agency said Yemen has reported 8,034 suspected cases and 27 deaths this year - with a quarter of the suspected cases occurring in the last four weeks. In this file photo, a boy carries a child to receive treatment at a medical centre near a camp for people displaced by conflict in Abs in Yemen's Hajjah province on 27 August 2024 (AFP)