Over 200,000 infected with cholera in Yemen

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More than two years of heavy conflict in Yemen have resulted in the world's worst cholera outbreak that has killed over 1,300 people and infected more than 200,000, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Saturday.

The conflict that began in March 2015 has collapsed health, water and sanitation systems, cutting off 14.5 million people from regular access to clean water and sanitation and increasing the ability of the disease to spread, said the UN agencies.

Yemeni children suspected of being infected with cholera receive treatment at a makeshift hospital in Sanaa on June 5, 2017. /VCG Photo

In just two months, cholera has spread to almost every governorate of the war-torn country, resulting in more than 200,000 suspected cases, while children accounted for nearly one quarter of the 1,300 victims.

Rising rates of malnutrition have also made children more vulnerable to diseases.

UNICEF and the WHO, as well as their partners, are racing to stop spread of cholera, reaching people with clean water, adequate sanitation and medical treatment.

However, they said an estimated 30,000 dedicated local health workers, who are playing the largest role in ending this outbreak, have not been paid their salaries for nearly ten months.

(Source: Xinhua)