PRESS RELEASE
UNICEF, WHO, WFP Joint Statement: Yemen Faces ‘the Worst Cholera Outbreak in the World’
July 27, 2017 (EIRNS)—Devastated by the Saudi-launched war which began in 2015 and continues to this day, Yemen is facing the "world’s worst cholera outbreak," the United Nations declared this month.
Following their recent visit to Yemen, the heads of three major UN agencies—UNICEF, the World Food Program (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO)—declared that "This is the world’s worst cholera outbreak in the midst of the world’s largest humanitarian crisis." In the last three months alone, 400,000 cases of suspected cholera and nearly 1,900 associated deaths have been recorded, and if things are not reversed, the number of cholera cases could reach 600,000, they reported, according to Vatican Radio.
In a joint statement, the heads of the three agencies said that thousands are falling sick every day. Sustained efforts are required to stop the spread of disease. Nearly 80% of Yemen’s children need immediate humanitarian assistance.
"Speaking to Lydia Kane from Sana’a city, Communications Officer Reem Nada spoke about the current situation on the ground. The cholera outbreak is actually compounding a very complex situation in Yemen because already we have malnutrition, we have hunger, 70 million people are suffering, they don’t know where their next meal is coming from,"
Vatican Radio reported today.
The heads of the three United Nations agencies are now calling on the international community to redouble its support for the people of Yemen, said Vatican Radio.
