War-torn Yemen is suffering from an epidemic of cholera. The country, located in the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula, reported nearly 250,000 suspected cases and 861 associated deaths as of December 1, accounting for 35 per cent of worldwide cholera cases and 18 per cent of related deaths this year, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on December 23, 2024.

The country’s cholera crisis comes on top of more than a decade of conflict, widespread economic collapse and crumbling health infrastructure, the WHO added in a statement.

Yemen experienced its largest cholera outbreak in recent history from 2017 to 2020, with transmission persisting ever since.

“The outbreak of waterborne diseases like cholera and acute watery diarrhoea imposes an additional burden on an already stressed health system facing multiple disease outbreaks,” the statement quoted Arturo Pesigan, WHO Representative in Yemen.

Yemen faces a host of challenges in dealing with the cholera crisis. These include inadequate access to clean drinking water, poor sanitation, and limited treatment availability. All these are fuelling the current outbreak, according to WHO.

Another major challenge is the lack of funds. The country’s cholera response faces a $20 million funding gap for the October 2024 to March 2025 response period.

“The lack of funds has already forced the closure of 47 diarrhoea treatment centres (DTC) and 234 oral rehydration centres (ORC) between March and November. An additional 17 DTCs and 39 ORCs are set to close by the end of December, potentially shuttering 84 per cent of DTCs and 62 per cent of ORCs across the country,” the WHO statement noted.

Yemen could face a repeat of the 2017-2020 outbreak if immediate financial support does not come along, health partners have warned.

The conflict in Yemen has left 18.2 million people, nearly half the population, in need of humanitarian assistance, with 11.2 million slated for aid coverage.

Across the country, some 17.6 million people are affected by food insecurity, while almost half of all children under five suffer from moderate to severe stunting, according to WHO.