Cholera kills 11 in war-ravaged Yemen

The death toll of a cholera outbreak in war-torn and impoverished Yemen has reached 11, out of 180 confirmed cases, a UN-led action group said Wednesday.

Suspected cases reached 15,658 as of January 11, it said in a joint report by a health ministry task force, the World Health Organisation, UN children's fund UNICEF and UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

A total of 99 deaths associated with cholera and Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) have been registered, it said, adding that the "epidemic curve shows a declining trend of incidences" from  December 18-24.

It said the decline was thanks to the response of organisations involved and preventive intervention by Yemeni health authorities and partners. 

The southern city of Aden had the highest confirmed cholera cases with 37, while the rebel-held capital Sanaa had 20.

Health care has dramatically deteriorated in Yemen due to the escalating conflict since March 2015 between Shiite rebels and the government supported by a Saudi-led Arab coalition.

UNICEF said in December that nearly 2.2 million Yemeni children are acutely malnourished.

More than 7,400 people have been killed in the conflict in Yemen, where United Nations mediation and seven ceasefires have failed to stop the fighting.

Source: AFP