Words by Smiley Team
Thousands of people in Yemen could be dying from undetected cases of cholera because COVID-19 has overwhelmed the country’s health facilities and people are too frightened to seek treatment for fear of the virus, the charity Oxfam has revealed.
The number of coronavirus cases in Yemen is likely to peak in the coming weeks while the heaviest rains are expected in August which could deepen a hidden cholera crisis.
The numbers of recorded suspected cholera cases since March have shown an abnormal decrease. In the first three months of 2020, there were more than 100,000 suspected cases of cholera in Yemen but this dropped by 50 per cent in the second three months. Last year, the numbers increased by 70 per cent in the second quarter because it coincides with the start of the rainy season.
Subsequently, it is likely that already there are tens of thousands of people suffering with undetected and untreated cases of cholera. According to the WHO, half of those diagnosed with cholera will die from the disease if it is left untreated but with timely and adequate treatment, that number will remain below 1%.
Although officially only 1644 cases had been recorded by 22 July, the actual figure is likely to be far higher because of underreporting and a lack of testing facilities. The UK’s Department for International Development has estimated it could already be as high as one million.
“Yemen is on course for a truly horrific catastrophe as both cholera and COVID could peak in the coming weeks. Yemenis desperately need an end to the fighting which has destroyed health facilities and left communities more vulnerable to the virus.” said Muhsin Siddiquey, Oxfam’s Yemen Country Director.
“Rather than show that Yemen has cholera and COVID under control, the low official numbers demonstrate the exact opposite. A lack of working health facilities and people too scared to get treatment mean that the numbers suffering from these diseases are being vastly under recorded.”
Only two per cent of funding needed to provide clean water and sanitation to stop the spread of COVID has been given. Overall, there’s less than a third of the funding for Yemen now than at the same point last year even though COVID-19 has exacerbated what was already the world’s biggest humanitarian disaster.
Siddiquey said: “The world is reeling from the economic blow dealt by the coronavirus but that shouldn’t mean that the millions of Yemenis who were already suffering through hunger, disease and conflict should be abandoned to their fate.
“Yemen urgently needs the international community to increase funding to ensure that all those who have had to flee their homes, struggle with disease or face hunger get the life-saving aid they need.”
Since the confirmation of cases of coronavirus in Yemen in April, Oxfam has refocused its work to respond to the pandemic. Their focus is working on rehabilitating the water supply to one of the main hospitals in Aden, distributing hygiene kits for the most vulnerable households, and trucking in clean water to camps for people who have had to flee their homes.
They have also given cash for food to families affected by flooding. Across Yemen, they are also delivering training to community health volunteers to spread the word about coronavirus and the importance of hygiene and hand washing.
To find out more and to support Oxfam’s work head to oxfam.org.uk
