WHO warns Yemen bears 'highest burden' of cholera globally

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday warned that Yemen bears "the highest burden" of cholera globally.

The UN agency said in a statement that as of Dec. 1, Yemen had reported 249,900 suspected cases of cholera, with 861 associated deaths since the beginning of the year.

This accounts for 35% of the global cholera burden and 18% of global reported mortality, the WHO said.

The number of cases and deaths reported in November 2024 is 37% and 27% higher than the same month in 2023, according to the global health body.

The increase this year is "largely due to updated data" from Yemen, with adjustments made to account for more detailed information from all governorates, it noted.

"The outbreak of waterborne diseases like cholera and acute watery diarrhea imposes an additional burden on an already stressed health system facing multiple disease outbreaks. WHO and humanitarian actors are strained in their efforts to address the increasing needs due to severe funding shortages," WHO representative and head of mission in Yemen, Arturo Pesigan, said.

"Lack of access to safe drinking water, poor community hygiene practices and limited access to timely treatment further hinder efforts to prevent and control the disease," Pesigan added.

Addressing cholera in Yemen requires "urgent and comprehensive" interventions, covering coordination, surveillance, laboratory capacity, case management, community engagement initiatives, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and oral cholera vaccinations, the agency underlined.

It stressed that timely and sufficient funding is necessary for these interventions.

According to the WHO, Yemen has experienced persistent cholera transmission for many years, including the largest outbreak -- between 2017 and 2020 -- recorded in recent history.