A report from the United Nations indicated that the number of measles cases in Yemen has risen to over nine thousand, resulting in the deaths of dozens of children since the beginning of this year.
On Sunday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Yemen reported that "since the start of the year, measles cases have risen to 9,418, with 77 child fatalities. Additionally, cases of polio, diphtheria, and whooping cough are also increasing, along with a rise in deaths from every disease."
The report noted, "Yemen recorded over 22,000 measles cases last year, including 161 deaths," warning of the "potential for an unusually high mortality rate, especially if malnutrition rates continue to rise."
The report further stated that "228 children have been affected by polio since 2021."
Diseases and epidemics are widespread in Yemen amidst a war that has continued for the ninth consecutive year, claiming the lives of thousands of Yemenis amid a significant deterioration of the health sector, with the war causing the closure of half of its medical facilities.
The war in Yemen, which the United Nations has termed the world's worst humanitarian crisis, has devastated the health infrastructure in a country that lives in extreme poverty, with 80 percent of its population of 32.6 million reliant on aid.
