Yemen: el cólera sigue afectando a los yemeníes

©Yemen, Amran governorate, Khamer Cholera treatment Centre, 25 April 2019 - This patient has three kids, among them twins who have contracted cholera. She has another child who died because of cholera. Between 1 January and 26 March 2019, MSF has admitted 7,938 suspected cholera cases to its health facilities in Amran, Hajjah, Ibb and Taiz governorates, 50% of them coming from Ibb governorate. Over this period, the number of cholera patients treated by MSF increased from 140 to 2,000 per week. Results of rapid diagnostic tests done in MSF projects show that, in the same period, the percentage of cholera-positive cases increased from 58% to 70%. MSF has scaled up its response: teams have opened a 42-bed cholera treatment centre in Khamer. Since March, there are around 30 patients every day in Khamer CTC, they are staying between 2 and 3 days. MSF teams have also increased the bed capacity of the cholera treatment unit in Taiz; have bolstered centres in Ibb and Kilo; and opened a cholera treatment centre in Al Kuwait hospital in Sana’a. During the last two weeks of April, our teams have observed a decrease of suspected cases in most of our projects. Cholera is endemic in Yemen: between 2016 and 2017, two waves of cholera hit the country. Although the disease was subsequently brought under control, health authorities and medical organisations have continued to see cholera cases in almost all governorates of the country since then.