Save the Children: At Least 193 Children Having Died from Cholera This Year

Yamanyoon

The brutal aggression against Yemen has worsened the humanitarian situation for civilians in the country, with at least 193 children have died this year from cholera-related illnesses, according to Save the Children.

In a statement on Monday, the U.K. charity revealed that the country has seen more suspected cholera cases in the first half of this year than in the whole of 2018. A total of 439,812 suspected cholera cases have so far been identified, with some 203,000 children among those affected, Save the Children said. As Yemenis have suffered from acute malnutrition, the report noted that malnourished children are at least three times more likely to die due to their weakened immune systems.

“Disease outbreaks are now rife due to the collapse of the health system and weak sanitation systems and a population made increasingly vulnerable by forced displacement and malnutrition. The health system is under considerable stress, with only half of the health facilities functional while the rest of the facilities remaining closed or are partially functional,” Tamer Kirolos, Save the Children’s country director in Yemen, said.

Save the Children asks the Hadi government to ensure the regular and full payment of civil servant salaries, particularly to health workers and teachers, and equip health facilities with the urgently needed personnel to ensure the continuity of delivery of much-needed health services.

Amid a series of international warnings, continuing military support from Western countries, which includes arms sales for the Saudi-led coalition, has prompted further fears of an escalation in the humanitarian crisis in the country.