Yemen cholera outbreak takes lives of 115 people

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New Delhi: War-torn Yemen has witnessed a cholera outbreak which has claimed 115 lives till now. Reportedly, apart from the number of deaths registered, close to 8,500 people are ill.

Hospitals are struggling to accommodate the patients as the influx is increasing day by day.

"We now are facing a serious outbreak of cholera," said ICRC director of operations Dominik Stillhart at a news conference in the capital Sanaa.

Citing figures compiled by the Yemeni health ministry, Stillhart said 115 people had died of cholera between April 27 and yesterday.

More than 8,500 suspected cases of the waterborne disease were reported in the same period in 14 governorates across Yemen, Stillhart said, up from 2,300 cases in 10 governorates last week.

This is the second outbreak of cholera in less than a year in Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country.

Yemen is witnessing a devastating war between the Saudi- supported government and Iranian-backed Huthi rebels, and less than half of the country's health facilities are functioning two years into the conflict.

Stillhart said hospitals were filled beyond capacity with patients displaying symptoms of cholera, a bacterial infection contracted through ingesting contaminated food or water.

(With AFP inputs)