WHO: More than 260,000 cases and 879 deaths from cholera in Yemen last year

The World Health Organization announced that cholera cases in Yemen have risen to more than 260,000 cases, and 879 deaths associated with the disease during the past year, making it the country with the highest outbreak of the epidemic among the countries included in the report.

The organization said in its latest report on the cholera outbreak, issued on Saturday, that 260,552 cases were reported across Yemen, including 879 deaths, during the period from January 1 to December 29, 2024.

The report stated that Yemen reported 10,502 new cases of the epidemic last December, including 16 deaths.

The World Health Organization explained that Hodeidah, Hajjah, Amran and Taiz topped the list of governorates in the number of cholera/acute watery diarrhea ( AWD ) cases announced during the year, while Shabwa, Hadramout, Al Mahrah and Socotra had the lowest cases of infection.

The UN statistics indicate that the reported cases of cholera and watery diarrhea ( AWD ) in Yemen represent the highest number recorded among the 34 countries worldwide, as documented in the report, and the second highest number of deaths after Sudan.

According to the World Health Organization, the total number of cases of cholera and acute watery diarrhea recorded around the world last year reached 804,721 cases, including 5,805 deaths.

The organization pointed out that conflicts, mass displacement, disasters caused by natural hazards and climate change, are factors that contributed to the intensification of the outbreak of the disease, especially in rural areas and areas affected by floods, where weak infrastructure and limited access to health care lead to delays in treatment. It added that these cross-border factors have increased the complexity of cholera outbreaks and the difficulty of controlling them.