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World Immunization Week 2025
‘Immunize for life’: Yemen marks World Immunization Week 2025
24 April 2025, During World Immunization Week, the World Health Organization (WHO) in Yemen joins global partners in celebrating immunization as one of humanity’s greatest achievements. The week provides an opportunity to reflect on progress made in preventing life-threatening diseases and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring everyone has access to lifesaving vaccines.
Immunization has saved millions of lives and is one of the most powerful tools in the fight against preventable diseases. It has contributed to healthier communities and reduced child mortality. In Yemen, around one Million children have been vaccinated in the past year, protecting them from diseases like measles, polio and diphtheria.
Vaccines offer disease prevention, give children the opportunity to grow, learn and thrive, and reduce the burden on families and health care systems.
To reach millions of children under 5 in underserved and conflict-affected areas, WHO Yemen and partners are actively working to strengthen routine vaccination with the global Big Catch up initiative. Yet despite progress, many people in Yemen continue to face barriers. The ongoing conflict has weakened the health care infrastructure, and logistical obstacles mean families in remote and underserved areas face major challenges in accessing lifesaving immunizations. As a result, Yemen is grappling with severe outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.
During the 2024 measles outbreak in Yemen, 27 517 cases and 260 deaths were reported, among the highest figures globally. Since 2017, more than 1500 diphtheria cases have been recorded, resulting in over 200 fatalities. Since 2021, 272 children have been affected by circulating variant poliovirus. These alarming figures are a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of limited vaccine access.
WHO Yemen is committed to making immunization for all a reality. We are working closely with the Ministry of Public Health and Population to overcome barriers and ensure that every person in Yemen can access lifesaving vaccines.
Vaccination is not a privilege, it is a human right. Immunization for all is possible, and we can achieve it together. During World Immunization Week 2025, WHO Yemen is calling on governments, authorities, health organizations and communities to unite and ensure that everyone gets the protection they deserve.
“Immunization is not just about protecting individuals, it is about safeguarding the future of entire communities. In Yemen, as in the rest of the world, every child has the right to grow up healthy, and every life saved through immunization brings us closer to a more equitable and resilient society. We urge all stakeholders – representatives of all authorities, health workers, partners and communities – to redouble efforts to ensure every individual in Yemen, especially every child, has access to lifesaving vaccines, no matter where they live,” says Acting WHO Representative in Yemen Dr Ferima Coulibaly-Zerbo.
For a healthier, stronger Yemen and a safer world, let’s immunize for life.
Media contacts
WHO Yemen Communications: email
About WHO
Since 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been the United Nations agency dedicated to advancing health for all, so that everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health. WHO leads global efforts to expand universal health coverage, direct and coordinate the world’s responses to health emergencies and connect nations, partners and people to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable.
A mother’s struggle: fighting malnutrition in Yemen
14 April 2025, Aden, Yemen – At just 5 months old, Amir Taher Ali has already endured more than any child should. Born in Salah Al-Din, Aden, he has battled severe acute malnutrition, a chest infection, persistent diarrhoea and an umbilical hernia that needs surgery.
His mother remembers the helplessness she felt as his health deteriorated. “He was so sick and no matter what I did, I couldn’t comfort him. My milk dried up because of the stress. I felt completely helpless,” she says. “Now, at least, he is receiving care. I just want him to be healthy again.”
After struggling at home, Amir was eventually brought to the therapeutic feeding centre where he is now receiving treatment.
“The doctors and nurses have been kind, and I see him improving. But I pray no other mother has to watch her child suffer like this.”
A daily struggle
Life for Amir’s family has never been easy. His father, a daily wage worker, earns barely enough to buy food. On some days there is nothing to eat.
“When that happens, we fast,” his mother says quietly. “A stranger gave us baby clothes when Amir was born. We have always relied on the kindness of others.”
Malnutrition in Yemen: a widespread crisis
Amir is one of 2.3 million children in Yemen suffering from acute malnutrition. Half a million of them face severe acute malnutrition and 69 000 need urgent medical care. Without treatment, malnutrition leaves children vulnerable to infections like pneumonia and diarrhoea, among the leading causes of child deaths in Yemen.
With support from the German Foreign Office, WHO is working to save lives. It provides medical care to 31220 malnourished children at 96 stabilization centres, and is training 1546 health care workers to ensure more children get the treatment they desperately need.
“Malnutrition remains one of the biggest threats to children’s health in Yemen,” says Acting WHO Representative in Yemen Dr Ferima Coulibaly-Zerbo. “No child should have to suffer from hunger or preventable diseases. With the support of our partners, WHO is committed to ensuring that children receive the care and nutrition they need to survive and thrive.”
While Amir’s journey is not over, his mother refuses to lose hope. “I just want to take him home healthy. That is every mother’s wish.”
Building a brighter future for Yemen’s mothers and babies
7 April 2025, Sana’a, Yemen – On World Health Day 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) is raising the alarm about the dire state of maternal and neonatal health in Yemen. Under the theme Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures, WHO is underscoring the urgent need for scaled-up interventions to save lives and protect the well-being of Yemen's most vulnerable.
Decades of conflict and a spiraling humanitarian crisis have decimated Yemen's health system. The statistics paint a stark picture of suffering and loss:
maternal mortality reached 183 deaths per 100 000 live births in 2020, a devastating regression in maternal health outcomes;
preventable complications such as haemorrhage and pre-eclampsia/eclampsia remain leading causes of maternal deaths, claiming the lives of women who should be experiencing the joy of motherhood;
prematurity, asphyxia, pneumonia and sepsis contribute to unacceptably high neonatal mortality rates; and
malnutrition and anaemia are rampant among women of reproductive age, jeopardizing their health and the health of their babies.
"The reality for mothers and newborns in Yemen is heartbreaking," says acting WHO Representative in Yemen Dr Ferima Coulibaly-Zerbo. "Behind these statistics are stories of immense hardship and loss. On this World Health Day, we cannot accept this as the status quo. We must act decisively and with unwavering commitment to ensure healthy beginnings and pave the way for hopeful futures.'"
WHO Yemen works tirelessly with health partners to deliver critical support and implement lifesaving interventions, including:
strengthening surveillance systems to better understand and respond to maternal deaths;
improving the quality of care in health facilities, ensuring access to skilled birth attendance and emergency obstetric care;
providing essential medicines, equipment and supplies to health facilities;
training and supporting midwives and other health care providers; and
addressing malnutrition through screening, counseling and supplementation programmes.
The scale of the crisis demands an urgent response. WHO Yemen is calling on the international community to increase funding for maternal and neonatal health interventions, for the government and health authorities to prioritize and strengthen the health system and all stakeholders to work together to overcome barriers to access and ensure that every mother and newborn receives the care they need.
"The future of Yemen depends on the health and well-being of its mothers and children," says Dr Coulibaly-Zerbo. "Let World Health Day 2025 be a turning point, a moment when we collectively resolve to protect and invest in hopeful futures for all Yemenis."
Media contacts
WHO Yemen Communications
Email:
About WHO
Since 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been the United Nations agency dedicated to advancing health for all, so that everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health. WHO leads global efforts to expand universal health coverage, direct and coordinate the world’s responses to health emergencies and connect nations, partners and people to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable.
Harnessing Solar Power: A Lifeline for Yemen’s Hospitals
2 January 2025, Sana’a, Yemen – More than 50% of homes in Yemen rely on solar power, a vital energy source in a country that has faced almost a decade of conflict and disruptions to its power grid.
With support from WHO and other partners, hospitals and other health facilities are increasingly turning to solar as a sustainable energy source.
Throughout the conflict and ensuing humanitarian crisis, WHO, with the support of the World Bank and other partners, has provided monthly supplies of emergency diesel fuel to more than 100 hospitals to power generators so that essential services can be delivered to vulnerable communities but the supplies, which exceed 7 million litres of fuel every year, only partially meet the needs of facilities.
Solar energy stands out as a sustainable solution for Yemen’s healthcare sector, with the country enjoying over 3,000 hours of clear skies annually. By harnessing this abundant resource, hospitals can reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and improve their resilience to power disruptions.
WHO Representative to Yemen Dr Arturo Pesigan explained the organization’s approach: “With support from the WHO Centre for Environmental Health Action (CEHA), the WHO Country Office has initiated pilot projects in several hospitals to introduce solar power”.
Al Rawda Maternity and Children’s Hospital in Sana’a serves over 62,000 people and sees 360 patients daily. Thanks to WHO’s intervention, solar power now meets 80% of the hospital’s surgical department energy needs. Dr. Sukainah Alkebsi, the hospital’s director, shared, “This has transformed how we operate, ensuring uninterrupted surgeries even during power outages. We hope this vital support continues.”
The Director of Al Rawda Hospital Dr Sukainah Alkebsi described the impact of WHO’s intervention: “We serve a large population, and WHO support of the surgical operations department has resulted in 80% of the department’s energy needs being sourced from solar. We hope this support will continue.”
Yemen faces intensifying climate challenges, including rising temperatures, reduced rainfall, and more extreme weather. In 2024, flooding impacted over 500,000 people, while persistent outbreaks of climate-sensitive diseases like cholera, dengue, and malaria underscore the urgent need for adaptation.
The impacts of climate change are already being felt. Flooding affected over 500 000 people in 2024; Cyclone Tej caused an estimated US$ 570 million in economic losses in 2023, and the country has faced persistent outbreaks of climate-sensitive diseases such as cholera, dengue and malaria.
In response, WHO is ramping up collaborations with Yemen’s health, environment, and water ministries to strengthen health sector resilience. Solar projects, training health workers, and community awareness campaigns are pivotal to these efforts, enabling facilities to better withstand climate shocks.
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