Yemen faces growing malaria threat amid fragile healthcare system

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently warned that Yemen is entering a critical stage in its fight against malaria, urging stronger prevention efforts as the disease risks spreading further this year.

A mosquito, the primary carrier of malaria parasites, rests on a person’s arm in Lille, northern France, August 23, 2016. /VCG

According to Anis Al-Askari, spokesperson for the Health Ministry in Yemen's capital Sanaa, epidemiological surveillance data recorded 116,000 confirmed malaria cases in 2025. Among them, 1,259 severe cases required hospitalization, with 11 reported deaths.

Doctors say malaria threatens people of all ages, but young children remain the most vulnerable. Transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes, the disease can cause life-threatening complications, including brain inflammation and coma.

The outbreak has placed even greater pressure on Yemen's fragile healthcare system. Years of conflict have left around 60% of the country's medical facilities fully or partially out of service, while nearly 20 million people still lack access to basic healthcare.

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