The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday that Yemen has recorded 280 deaths from measles since the beginning of 2024. The WHO office in Yemen stated that the country is grappling with an outbreak of vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio, acute watery diarrhea, cholera, measles, diphtheria, malaria, and dengue fever.
According to the statement, 33,000 suspected cases of measles have been reported this year, with 280 fatalities directly attributed to the disease. The situation is further exacerbated by worsening food insecurity, with nearly half of Yemen’s households struggling to obtain adequate food.
In response, the WHO has signed a €3.4 million agreement with the German government to sustain life-saving health and nutrition services in Yemen. This initiative comes as Yemen faces a level 3 emergency, the highest health emergency level set by the WHO.
Yemen’s ongoing conflict, which has lasted for over a decade, has devastated the country’s health sector and contributed to one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world, as reported by the United Nations.
