HAIS, Yemen: A clinic in western Yemen has been inundated with suspected cholera patients after heavy rains and flooding sparked fears of a major outbreak in the impoverished and war-ravaged country. With hundreds of suspected cases overwhelming the facility in Hais, medical staff are stretched to the limit as they battle the outbreak in a region already hit by nearly a decade of war.
Women and children lie attached to intravenous drips to combat diarrhea, a symptom of what medics fear is cholera. "The influx of patients has increased due to the floods and rains in Hais,” said Bakil Al-Hadrami, a doctor at a diarrhea treatment center in the town, about 120 km south of the Red Sea port city of Hodeida. "The staff on duty are overburdened” and services could collapse "at any moment”, he told AFP from the clinic, warning of a "medical crisis” if the authorities do not intervene.
Flash floods triggered by torrential rainfall have killed at least 12 people and left more than 20 others missing in rebel-held areas of Yemen, the Houthi-run Al-Masirah television reported on Wednesday. The overnight floods in Al-Mahwit, a province west of the capital Sanaa ruled by the Iran-backed Houthis, triggered
landslides that swept through several homes, according to Al-Masirah. Twelve bodies were retrieved in the province’s Melhan district and at least 21 people remain missing, Al-Masirah said citing civil defense teams.
The mountains of western Yemen are prone to heavy seasonal rainfall. Since late July, flash flooding has killed 60 people and affected 268,000 across Yemen, according to the United Nations. Western and central provinces have been warned of worse to come. "In the coming months, increased rainfall is forecast, with the central highlands, Red Sea coastal areas and portions of the southern uplands expected to receive unprecedented levels in excess of 300 millimeters,” the World Health Organization warned on Monday.
There are nearly 164,000 suspected cholera cases across Yemen, a figure that could climb to 250,000 in the coming weeks if the response is not bolstered, according to the United Nations. Hais, controlled by Yemen’s internationally recognized government, was hard hit by flooding. Devastated by the war that has ravaged medical infrastructure, Hais is now bracing for a new crisis after the floods which can carry water-borne diseases.
"The recent (cholera) wave... has been exacerbated by heavy rains and subsequent flooding, increasing the risk of water contamination,” the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a recent report. The Hais clinic received 530 suspected cholera cases between August 1 and 18, Hadrami said. Authorities have only been able to confirm three positive cases after samples were sent to a lab in nearby Taiz, he said, amid limited testing capabilities. "This is evidence that the cholera epidemic is present and spreading within Hais,” Hadrami said. "The situation will only get worse and worse.”
Cholera, caused by contaminated water or food, is endemic to Yemen, which has been gripped by conflict since 2014 between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the government which is supported by Saudi Arabia. Severe water shortages, dilapidated healthcare infrastructure and rising malnutrition have contributed to a cholera spike since late last year. The latest flooding only added to challenges facing relief efforts in a country where aid workers risk abduction by the Houthis and more than half the population needs humanitarian assistance.
In Hais, the flooding has also dislodged landmines, increasing the risks for those trying to reach needy communities, according to the IOM. Among those requiring assistance is Abdullah Al-Shmairi who fears his entire family may now have cholera after his son tested positive. "A week ago, my son was infected with cholera and the test was sent to Taiz and it turned out” positive, the 46-year-old father of four told AFP from the Hais clinic.
"Our whole household is now suffering from diarrhea... but we were unable to get the treatments here and sometimes we have to bring them in from outside,” the bakery worker said. "Cholera is widespread in and around Hais.” Yemen, facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian tragedies, had 2.5 million suspected cases during the last cholera outbreak from 2016 to 2022, according to the IOM. It was "the largest ever reported cholera outbreak in recent history”, with more than 4,000 deaths, the IOM said.
Another cholera spike late last year went largely underreported because of limited access and information. As of Aug 10, 163,944 suspected cases have been reported with 647 associated deaths nationwide in 2024, a spokesperson for the United Nations children’s fund UNICEF told AFP. Most cases have been in rebel-held areas, the spokesperson said.
The UN’s cholera response plan for the country initially estimated 60,000 cases between April and September 2024, said Lisa Doughten, Director of Financing and Partnerships at the UN humanitarian office OCHA. But the latest figures have swelled beyond estimates, with current funding only enough to address a quarter of cases, she told the UN Security Council on Aug 15. "Unless these response efforts are immediately bolstered, the number of suspected cases could further increase, potentially reaching more than 250,000 in just a few weeks.” – AFP