Aden (South24 Center)

Cholera-related deaths in Yemen stood at 237 since the beginning of 2025, with a total of 87,566 recorded cases of cholera and acute watery diarrhea between January 1 and October 31, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported, citing the latest official data, showing a marked improvement over last year.

In its report issued on Wednesday (November 26), the WHO said that Yemen had recorded one of its worst cholera outbreaks in 2024, with the disease having claimed 879 lives out of more than 260,000 infections. In 2024, Yemen had accounted for 35% of the global cholera burden and 18% of the global reported mortality, according to the WHO.

The current report points to the continued fragility of the health system and the absence of rapid response which have contributed to the spread of the disease, in addition to weak epidemiological surveillance capacities in several governorates, leading to delayed case detection and increased infection rates.

The organization stated that the deterioration of the medical sector during more than a decade of conflict has led to the collapse of basic services and shortages of therapeutic and preventive supplies, creating a fertile environment for the resurgence of epidemics, particularly cholera.

The report stressed that the poor water and sanitation infrastructure in large parts of the country exacerbates the spread of the disease, coupled with the limited capacity to implement vaccination campaigns and provide oral rehydration solutions and antibiotics in health facilities that are operating at reduced capacity.

The organization warned that the announced figures do not necessarily reflect the actual scale of the outbreak, due to surveillance gaps and challenges in accessing many rural districts.

WHO emphasized that containing the disease requires improving water and sanitation networks, intensifying health awareness, and expanding emergency medical response, while the health sector needs sustained international support and improved security and political conditions.