Since the end of April, Yemen has been facing a epidemic of cholera. In this country in the south-west of the Arabian Peninsula, the situation is still alarming, since the number of people affected exceeded the half-million mark on Sunday, indicates the World Health Organization (WHO) in a communicated. More than 500,000 suspected cases and nearly 2,000 deaths have been recorded in Yemen.
5,000 people affected every day
If the speed of propagation of this disease infectious due to bacteria Vibrio cholerae slowed since the beginning of July, it still affects around 5,000 people a day, says the WHO. In question ? The hygienic conditions and the lack of water supply in Yemen, which is facing a civil war. A dramatic situation that also affects the health system: drug shortages are now common and many damaged health facilities have had to close. “Health workers in Yemen are working in untenable conditions. Thousands of people are sick, but there are not enough hospitals, medicines, orwater clean,” says Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. He also points out that many doctors and nurses are no longer paid.
Among suspected cholera cases with access to health services, the survival rate is over 99%. But the WHO points out that nearly 15 million people do not have access to this rudimentary care.
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