SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A cholera-infected girl lies on a bed at a hospital in Sanaa, Yemen May 7, 2017. (Photo: Khaled Abdullah/Reuters)
Dangerous Trifecta of Crises as Yemen Hit With Cholera Outbreak
Warring nation already facing widespread famine and devastated infrastructure
May 12, 2017
As if things couldn't get worse for those living in the besieged nation of Yemen, a cholera outbreak has reportedly killed more than 50 people and spread to thousands more since late April, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on Thursday.
The outbreak was first announced in October 2016 but the recent surge creates a dangerous trifecta of crises. Already facing widespread threats of famine and an ongoing war that has claimed the lives of 4,000 civilians, the Middle Eastern nation has very little infrastructure or capacity to deal with the highly-contagious disease.
As WHO noted in its press statement, "The uptick in cholera cases comes as Yemen's already weakened health system struggles under the weight of two years of conflict. Key infrastructure, including water and sanitation facilities, are collapsing, contributing to the spread of diarrhoeal disease."
According to the United Nation's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), less than half of Yemen's medical facilities are currently functional.
"WHO is in full emergency mode to contain the recent upsurge of suspected cholera cases," said Dr. Nevio Zagaria, WHO representative in Yemen, who noted that 51 have died since April 27 while there is evidence the disease has spread to as many as 2756 people.
Laboratory testing by OCHA confirmed cases of cholera in 10 of the nation's governorates. WHO estimates that 7.6 million people live in areas at high risk of transmission.
At the same time, Telegraph Middle East correspondent Raf Sanchez reports, "[a]round seven million of the country's 27 million people are facing 'emergency' shortages of food, according to the U.N., just one level below all-out famine. Two-thirds of the population does not have access to clean drinking water." The UN has previously called Yemen "the largest humanitarian crisis in the world."
And the situation could grow even more dire as the U.S-backed, Saudi Arabia- led coalition is threatening to attack Yemen's Hodeidah port, despite warnings from the United Nations and U.S. lawmakers that such a move would cut off the nation from essential food and aid and would displace 200,000-500,000 people.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
As if things couldn't get worse for those living in the besieged nation of Yemen, a cholera outbreak has reportedly killed more than 50 people and spread to thousands more since late April, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on Thursday.
The outbreak was first announced in October 2016 but the recent surge creates a dangerous trifecta of crises. Already facing widespread threats of famine and an ongoing war that has claimed the lives of 4,000 civilians, the Middle Eastern nation has very little infrastructure or capacity to deal with the highly-contagious disease.
As WHO noted in its press statement, "The uptick in cholera cases comes as Yemen's already weakened health system struggles under the weight of two years of conflict. Key infrastructure, including water and sanitation facilities, are collapsing, contributing to the spread of diarrhoeal disease."
According to the United Nation's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), less than half of Yemen's medical facilities are currently functional.
"WHO is in full emergency mode to contain the recent upsurge of suspected cholera cases," said Dr. Nevio Zagaria, WHO representative in Yemen, who noted that 51 have died since April 27 while there is evidence the disease has spread to as many as 2756 people.
Laboratory testing by OCHA confirmed cases of cholera in 10 of the nation's governorates. WHO estimates that 7.6 million people live in areas at high risk of transmission.
At the same time, Telegraph Middle East correspondent Raf Sanchez reports, "[a]round seven million of the country's 27 million people are facing 'emergency' shortages of food, according to the U.N., just one level below all-out famine. Two-thirds of the population does not have access to clean drinking water." The UN has previously called Yemen "the largest humanitarian crisis in the world."
And the situation could grow even more dire as the U.S-backed, Saudi Arabia- led coalition is threatening to attack Yemen's Hodeidah port, despite warnings from the United Nations and U.S. lawmakers that such a move would cut off the nation from essential food and aid and would displace 200,000-500,000 people.
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
As if things couldn't get worse for those living in the besieged nation of Yemen, a cholera outbreak has reportedly killed more than 50 people and spread to thousands more since late April, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on Thursday.
The outbreak was first announced in October 2016 but the recent surge creates a dangerous trifecta of crises. Already facing widespread threats of famine and an ongoing war that has claimed the lives of 4,000 civilians, the Middle Eastern nation has very little infrastructure or capacity to deal with the highly-contagious disease.
As WHO noted in its press statement, "The uptick in cholera cases comes as Yemen's already weakened health system struggles under the weight of two years of conflict. Key infrastructure, including water and sanitation facilities, are collapsing, contributing to the spread of diarrhoeal disease."
According to the United Nation's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), less than half of Yemen's medical facilities are currently functional.
"WHO is in full emergency mode to contain the recent upsurge of suspected cholera cases," said Dr. Nevio Zagaria, WHO representative in Yemen, who noted that 51 have died since April 27 while there is evidence the disease has spread to as many as 2756 people.
Laboratory testing by OCHA confirmed cases of cholera in 10 of the nation's governorates. WHO estimates that 7.6 million people live in areas at high risk of transmission.
At the same time, Telegraph Middle East correspondent Raf Sanchez reports, "[a]round seven million of the country's 27 million people are facing 'emergency' shortages of food, according to the U.N., just one level below all-out famine. Two-thirds of the population does not have access to clean drinking water." The UN has previously called Yemen "the largest humanitarian crisis in the world."
And the situation could grow even more dire as the U.S-backed, Saudi Arabia- led coalition is threatening to attack Yemen's Hodeidah port, despite warnings from the United Nations and U.S. lawmakers that such a move would cut off the nation from essential food and aid and would displace 200,000-500,000 people.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.