Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
Data released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday indicated an accelerating spread of cholera in Yemen this year, driven by prolonged conflict and poverty, with 201 deaths and 72,000 infections recorded since the beginning of the year.
The UN agency’s report showed that between January 1 and August 31, Yemen reported 72,260 new cases of cholera and acute watery diarrhea, along with 201 associated deaths during the same period.
In August alone, 10,848 new infections were recorded, with 34 deaths reported that month.
The report further revealed that Yemen ranked third globally in cholera prevalence, following Afghanistan with 116,083 cases, and South Sudan with 74,494 cases.
The WHO had previously stated, at the end of January, that cholera claimed 879 lives in Yemen in 2024 out of more than 260,000 reported infections — representing 35% of global cases and 18% of global cholera deaths.
The country’s internal crisis continues to deepen Yemenis’ suffering, as fighting has dragged on for over a decade between the internationally recognized government backed by a Saudi-led coalition and the Iran-aligned Houthi group. This has led to the collapse of the health sector and the closure of half of medical facilities, while diseases and epidemics spread nationwide.
