UN says 120,000 suspected cases of cholera in Yemen

CAMEROON, Cameroon – The United Nations says nearly 120,000 suspected cases of cholera were reported in conflict-wracked Yemen between January and mid-August and the pace has been increasing.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Thursday that although the 120,000 figure is lower than during the same period in 2017, “the increasing rate of infections over recent weeks is raising concerns of a possible third wave of the epidemic, with the current rains increasing the risk.”

Dujarric said that since April 2017, over 1.1 million suspected cholera cases and 2,310 deaths have been reported in Yemen.

He said “the outbreak is the most serious on record,” and the U.N.’s humanitarian partners have vaccinated nearly 400,000 people against cholera in high-risk districts of Hodeida and Ibb to avoid a large-scale resurgence.