At least 570 suspected cases of cholera have surfaced in Yemen in the past three weeks, sparking fears of a potential epidemic, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Sunday (May 7th).
The World Health Organisation now classifies Yemen as one of the worst humanitarian emergencies in the world alongside Syria, South Sudan, Nigeria and Iraq, AFP reported.
"We have treated more than 570 cases we suspect may be cholera over the past three weeks," MSF spokesman Ghassan Abou Chaar said.
"There are fears that the disease could turn into an epidemic. Two years into the war, the healthcare system has collapsed, hospitals are destroyed... and government employees' salaries have not been paid," Abou Chaar said.
He said MSF had seen a marked hike over the past week in suspected cholera cases in five provinces across the country.
A general strike in Sanaa also has sparked sanitation concerns, as the city's streets began to flood with garbage at the weekend.
An official with Yemen's health ministry confirmed cholera had reappeared last week in Yemen, with cases reported in 10 provinces across the country.
Ministry spokesman Abdelhakim al-Kahlani said two cholera-related deaths had been confirmed in Sanaa, three in Ibb province and four in al-Hodeida province.
Cholera can be fatal if not treated immediately.
