Yemen Escalation Kills 1,677 Since August as Disease Risk Looms
In its latest report, the UN health agency tallied 1,677 deaths and 7,395 injuries over the period. Some 559 of those casualties came between Oct. 20 and 25, a rate of roughly 93 a day.
Fighting hotspots
Combat persisted in the governorates of Taiz, Lahj, and Marib, the WHO said. Aden, Al-Dhalea, and Shabwa recorded lower casualty figures.
Health system under strain
In Marib, only six of 31 mobile medical teams are still operating, the agency warned, leaving residents struggling to reach care as health facilities sustain damage and supplies run short.
In Taiz city, Al-Thawra General Hospital was hit by fire on Oct. 20, injuring three soldiers and one patient.
The WHO said it delivered 56 trauma and emergency kits to Taiz city on Oct. 24, 46 for trauma care and 10 for emergency health services. The shipment also carried about 30 metric tons of medical supplies for three hospitals and one health center.
Outbreak warning
Ongoing disruption to essential services, shortages of medicines, fuel, and water, and poor waste management are raising the risk of infectious disease outbreaks, the agency cautioned, with Taiz most at risk.
Background
Taiz, Yemen’s most populous province, remains split between government forces and the Houthis. Government forces hold Taiz city, the provincial capital, along with other parts of the province.
According to UN reports, fighting between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis has flared again since July, particularly in Taiz and Lahj, killing and wounding thousands.
Yemen has been at war since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and several provinces in September 2014. A Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in March 2015 to back the internationally recognized government.
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