Suspected
cholera cases in Yemen hit 1 million: ICRC
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[December 21, 2017] DUBAI
(Reuters) - The number of suspected cholera cases in Yemen has hit 1
million, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Thursday,
as war has left more than 80 percent of the population short of food,
fuel, clean water and access to healthcare.
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Yemen, one of the Arab world's poorest countries, is in a proxy war
between the Houthi armed movement, allied with Iran, and a
U.S.-backed military coalition headed by Saudi Arabia.
The United Nations says it is suffering the world's worst
humanitarian crisis. The World Health Organization has recorded
2,219 deaths since the cholera epidemic began in April, with
children accounting for nearly a third of infections.
Cholera, spread by food or water contaminated with human faeces,
causes acute diarrhea and dehydration and can kill within hours if
untreated. Yemen's health system has virtually collapsed, with most
health workers unpaid for months.
On Dec 3, the WHO said another wave of cholera could strike within
months after the Saudi-led coalition closed air, land and sea
access, cutting off fuel for hospitals and water pumps and aid
supplies for starving children.
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The ports were closed in retaliation for a missile fired from Yemen
by the Houthis. On Wednesday, despite a fresh missile attack on
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia said it would allow the Houthi-controled port
of Hodeidah, vital for aid, to stay open for a month.
(Reporting by Sylvia Westall; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
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