Interview with The New Arab

34 dead, 2,000 sick with suspected cholera in Yemen

Thirty-four people have died of cholera-related causes and more than 2,000 have been taken ill in less than two weeks in Yemen, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday. 

"There have been 34 cholera-associated deaths and 2,022 cases of acute watery diarrhoea in nine governorates, including Sanaa, during the period of April 27 to May 7," a WHO official told AFP.

This is the second wave of cholera-associated deaths in a year in Yemen, where a deadly war has destroyed hospitals and left millions of people struggling to access food and clean water across the country, including the temporary capital, Aden.

According to local reports, the number of cholera cases in Sana’a, which has been under Houthi control since September 2014, has risen to 218 across various districts and four deaths have been recorded.

“The Sana’a government has cut down the salaries of the cleaning staff for almost six months from now,” UN Environment Regional Representative for Civil Society NGOs in West Asia, Tareq Hassan told The New Arab, referring to the rebel-held territory.

The spat between the government and public sector workers has had detrimental effects on the community. 

There have been four confirmed deaths as a result of the outbreak of the illness.

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