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Cholera outbreak kills 1,205 in Yemen

Published : 23 Jun 2017, 01:15

  DF-Xinhua Report
A cholera-infected child receives medical treatment at the Sabeen hospital in Sanaa, Yemen, on June 15, 2017. File Photo Xinhua.

The death toll from cholera in war-torn Yemen has increased to 1,205 since April 27 until June 20, with the total suspected cases reaching 179,548, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said on its official twitter account.

The outbreak has spread fast in 20 out of 23 Yemeni governorates in just seven weeks, since April 27.

Yemen is facing total collapse as the war continues. Two thirds of the total population, around 19 million, need humanitarian and protection aid. About 10.3 million people are close to famine and 14.5 million lack access to safe drinking water.

Less than 45 percent of the country's hospitals are operational at the moment, but even the operational ones are coping with huge challenges, on top of which is the lack of medications, medical equipment and staffs.

The blockade on Yemen, part of a Saudi-led bombing campaign launched in March 2015, has deepened the crisis in the country which used to import most of its basic needs.