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In Yemen, WHO-supported frontliners deliver hope at the start of life
26 October 2025, Aden, Yemen – In the heart of Aden, where conflict, fragility and a crumbling health system converge, 2 health care heroes – Ashwaq Saeed and Hind Hadi – are quietly rewriting the story of maternal and newborn survival. Each day, at Al-Sadaqa Teaching Hospital, they struggle against the odds to give every newborn the best possible start in life.
Ashwaq Saeed, Supervisor of the Midwifery Department and Head of the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Ward, started at Al-Sadaqa as a volunteer. Her role soon evolved into a life-defining mission.
“Midwifery isn’t just about delivering babies,” says Ashwaq. “It’s about being present at the most vulnerable and beautiful moment in a family’s life.”
In a health system where only 50% of facilities are fully functional and maternal and neonatal mortality rates are alarmingly high, Ashwaq’s passion fills a critical gap. She and her team face a near constant scarcity of supplies, workforce shortages and low community awareness, yet she finds ingenious ways to adapt.
“We store surplus supplies for emergencies and we educate mothers whenever we can,” says Ashwaq. But to improve outcomes, she adds, more investment in training and equipment is urgently needed.
In the adjacent neonatal unit Hind Hadi, a nurse with over 12 years of experience, manages the care of premature and critically ill newborns. “We receive babies not just from the emergency department but from across other governorates,” she says. “Sometimes we simply don’t have enough beds.”
Her unit battles overcrowding daily, yet her commitment never wavers. “The joy in a mother’s eyes when her child recovers, it’s indescribable. That’s when I know our work truly matters,”
Ashwaq and Hind’s courage and commitment may fill some of the gaps, but without systemic change, training and resources, these health care workers are being stretched beyond their limits. Frontline dedication alone is not enough.
Recognizing these challenges, the World Health Organization (WHO) has taken a decisive role in strengthening Yemen’s maternal and newborn care through the introduction of Early Essential Newborn Care (EENC), a package of evidence-based lifesaving interventions during delivery and the early newborn period designed to prevent the most common causes of newborn mortality – hypothermia, asphyxia and infections – through low-cost, high-impact practices like immediate skin-to-skin contact, delayed cord clamping and early initiation of breastfeeding.
Under the leadership of the Ministry of Public Health and Population, WHO conducted Yemen’s first EENC coaching for facilitators in June 2022, beginning with Al-Sadaqa Hospital.
Baseline assessments prior to the EENC coaching revealed alarming shortcomings in current practice. Many newborns were being separated from their mothers immediately after birth. Skin-to-skin contact and thorough drying were rarely performed. Harmful routines such as early cord clamping and routine suctioning were widespread.
The WHO-supported coaching proved transformative. Staff knowledge scores for managing breathing babies jumped from 0% to 96%, and for non-breathing babies from 36% to 93%. A total of 28 facilitators and staff from 4 hospitals were trained, including Ashwaq and Hind. Both now serve as EENC champions within their departments.
Hind, who had been managing her unit’s overwhelming caseload with limited equipment, now has the technical tools to respond faster and more effectively to emergencies. Ashwaq, empowered by new techniques and protocols, is pushing for changes in hospital policies and advocating for increased recognition of midwives in her community.
The transformation is human as well as technical. EENC has reinvigorated cooperation between paediatricians, obstetricians and nurses. It has restored a sense of agency to health workers that had long been overshadowed by systemic failure.
Sustaining this progress requires more than one-off trainings. As WHO continues to scale up EENC in other hospitals, including Al Sha’ab, Al Razi and Ibn Khaldoun, consistent supplies of coaching materials and medical equipment, as well as policy backing, are vital. Support is also needed to address infrastructure challenges such as the absence of proper resuscitation spaces near delivery rooms, and to ensure mothers have clothing that allows skin-to-skin contact.
Today, it is frontline champions like Ashwaq and Hind who carry WHO’s vision forward. But they cannot do it alone.
Yemen’s health system is still under-resourced, leaving newborn lives at risk. Sustained donor support is urgently needed to expand lifesaving interventions like EENC across the country. By investing in these local heroes and the systems that support them we not only save lives – we restore dignity and hope to families across Yemen.
Every child deserves the chance to take their first breath in safe hands.
Amid Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, the fight against polio continues
24 October 2025, Aden, Yemen – On World Polio Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) is warning of the ongoing spread of poliovirus and calls for intensified efforts to protect every child.
Polio, a preventable disease that can cause irreversible paralysis and death, remains a threat to Yemen’s children as the nation grapples with multiple overlapping health emergencies including cholera, measles, diphtheria and severe malnutrition.
Yemen has been battling an outbreak of variant poliovirus type 2 since 2021. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned today that 29 confirmed cases had been reported so far in 2025 amid the country’s protracted humanitarian crisis, declining vaccination coverage, and limited access to essential health services. These cases were reported from 10 governorates — the vast majority (28 cases) in the north — compared to 187 cases from 15 governorates in the whole of 2024.
“The outbreak of variant poliovirus type 2 in Yemen continues to strain an already overburdened health system,” said WHO Representative in Yemen Dr Syed Jaffer Hussain. “Through strengthened coordination with health authorities and partners and renewed integrated efforts to reach every child in every community we can stop the transmission of poliovirus and prevent further suffering.”
To bridge the immunity gap and curb the spread of the virus, WHO, working with the Ministry of Public Health and Population, has implemented 8 mass vaccination campaigns with type specific oral polio vaccine from 2022 to 2025. Complex security challenges in northern governorates, however, meant the campaign could not extend there, though both northern and southern governorates have been vaccinating children with injectable polio vaccine through routine immunization and integrated service delivery in an attempt to reach missed and vulnerable children in high-risk areas.
In 2025, 2 major vaccination rounds were conducted. The first, in July, reached 1.4 million children. The second, in September, saw more than 1.4 million children receive vaccines across 12 governorates. The campaigns are a testament to the determination of health workers operating in challenging and hard-to-reach environments.
WHO continues to support the Ministry of Health in integrating vaccination with broader primary health care services to ensure children in remote and underserved areas receive essential lifesaving interventions. WHO is strengthening acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance, laboratory capacity and community-based reporting to enable early detection and rapid outbreak response to new poliovirus cases.
“Polio eradication is possible, even in complex emergencies like Yemen,” said Dr Jaffer. “But it requires sustained investment, unrestricted access for health teams and continued partnership at all levels.”
While progress has been made, WHO stresses that additional resources and operational support are needed to sustain vaccination efforts and strengthen Yemen’s health system. The Organization calls on national authorities, donors and humanitarian partners to:
prioritize vaccination of all children under 5 through nationwide campaigns;
strengthen routine immunization systems to sustain long-term protection;
ensure safe, unhindered access for health workers in all governorates; and
protect and support frontline health staff delivering vaccines in challenging conditions.
Through collective effort and continued commitment, Yemen can move closer to ending variant poliovirus transmission and ensuring that every child grows up healthy, safe and protected from preventable diseases.
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.
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Every door matters: Yemen’s fight for a polio-free future
7 October 2025, Aden, Yemen – In the heart of Aden’s Crater district, two young sisters — Nehal, just 11 months old, and Nuha, 3 years old, received their polio vaccines as part of Yemen’s nationwide campaign to protect every child. Their mother welcomed the health worker with quiet relief. In a world full of uncertainty, safeguarding her daughters felt like a promise fulfilled.
Across Yemen, families are opening their doors in a powerful act of hope. On the other side stands a health worker, ready to deliver two drops that could change a child’s life forever.
For the health worker – Nagwa Ali – who knocked on Nehal and Nuha’s door, each child she vaccinates is part of a larger story. “Every door we knock on brings Yemen closer to a day without polio,” she says.
Conflict, barriers to access and misinformation make it hard to reach every child but Yemen’s health workers, with the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MoPHP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) at their side, are finding ways to overcome the challenges. They travel far, reassure worried parents, and persist through every challenge.
“No child should suffer a disease we know how to prevent. Together, we can make polio history,” says WHO Representative in Yemen Dr Syed Jaffer Hussain.
Each time a child receive the vaccine Yemen moves closer to freedom from polio. Each knock on a door, each gentle conversation, each purple mark on a child’s finger is a step toward a healthier future.
The vital support of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) makes it possible to deliver vaccines to the most vulnerable communities of Yemen, keep cold-chain systems running despite difficult conditions, train and equip thousands of health workers and sustain the tireless campaigns that keep hope alive.
With GPEI’s commitment and the unwavering determination of MoPHP, WHO and Yemen’s frontline vaccinators, the vision of a country free from polio is no longer distant. It is within reach for every child.
WHO, UNICEF and MoPHP launch a second round of polio vaccination in Government of Yemen-controlled areas
30 September 2025, Aden, Yemen – The Ministry of Public Health and Population (MoPHP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) successfully launched the second round of the polio vaccination campaign across 12 GoY controlled governorates. The 3-day campaign, running from 29 September to 1 October 2025, aims to immunize over 1.3 million children under 5 against poliovirus.
This second round follows the first nOPV2 campaign in July 2025 and forms part of Yemen’s urgent response to the ongoing circulation of variant poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2). As of week 38 of 2025, 29 confirmed variant poliovirus type 2 have been reported in 28 children in the north and one in the south. Since 2021, Yemen has recorded 451 cases, the vast majority (96%) among children under 5. Environmental surveillance continues to detect poliovirus in sewerage water, underscoring the need for repeated vaccination rounds to halt the circulation of the virus.
“With the support of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), this second round is crucial for closing immunity gaps and moving Yemen closer to stopping poliovirus transmission," said WHO Representative in Yemen Dr Syed Jaffer Hussain. “Working alongside the Ministry of Public Health and Population, UNICEF and our partners, WHO is committed to reaching every child, including those in the most vulnerable communities”
This campaign will be implemented by a network of around 15,000 health workers in
mobile door-to-door teamsand at fixed sites in health facilities. Nearly 1,000 supervisors, from Government and partner agencies, will provide supervision for the campaign.
“Every child in Yemen deserves protection from preventable diseases such as polio,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in Yemen. “This campaign brings vaccines to doorsteps, health centers and remote communities, ensuring that even the most vulnerable children receive the protection they urgently need."
WHO and UNICEF, key partners in GPEI, are providing unwavering support to the Government of Yemen as it works to eradicate polio and bolster routine immunization. Continued, synchronized investment is essential to achieve full coverage and ensure no child is left behind.
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.
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. For more information about UNICEF and its work for children visit http://www.unicef.org/yemen
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WHO Yemen Communications:
UNICEF Yemen Communications:
World Humanitarian Day 2025: WHO Yemen honors health workers and their dedication to saving lives in times of crisis
19 August 2025. Aden, Yemen – On World Humanitarian Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) in Yemen is paying tribute to the courage, dedication and sacrifice of health workers and humanitarian personnel who work tirelessly to save lives in one of the world’s most complex emergencies.
Over 19.6 million people in Yemen are in need of humanitarian assistance to meet their most basic needs. WHO and its partners continue to work alongside the Ministry of Public Health and Population and other health actors to ensure the delivery of lifesaving health services in the face of escalating needs, insecurity and restricted access.
“Health workers in Yemen are on the frontlines every day – delivering babies, responding to disease outbreaks, treating the wounded and ensuring communities have access to essential care – often at great personal risk,” said Acting WHO Representative in Yemen Office Dr Nuha Mahmoud. “They are the backbone of our humanitarian lifeline. It is their resilience that inspires us to continue our mission.”
This year Yemen has seen multiple disease outbreaks, including cholera, measles and dengue fever, and a growing burden of malnutrition, mental health needs and noncommunicable diseases. On the face of severe challenges, including damaged infrastructure, shortages of medicines and movement restrictions, WHO Yemen has:
supported over 141 health facilities with supplies, equipment and operational costs;
deployed rapid response teams to investigate and contain outbreaks;
strengthened disease surveillance systems for early detection and action; and
provided mental health and psychosocial support services to communities in need.
WHO Yemen mourns the loss of humanitarian colleagues who have given their lives in service to others. In Yemen, incidents of violence against humanitarian personnel continue to threaten the delivery of critical aid.
On World Humanitarian Day, WHO Yemen is calling on all parties to the conflict to uphold international humanitarian law, protect health workers and facilities and ensure safe, sustained access to communities in need.
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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.
UAE and WHO conclude the first phase of a multi-stage joint project to assess and improve the health and nutrition status in Socotra
14 July 2025– Field teams from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Erth Zayed Philanthropies of the United Arab Emirates, and in close coordination with Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population (MoPHP) have completed the first phase of a comprehensive baseline assessment in Socotra Island in Yemen. The multi-phase operation will comprise 4 scheduled field visits over a 1-year period by joint both teams.
The assessment is the initial phase of a comprehensive programme in Socotra, aiming over the next two to five years to reduce mortality related to poor health and malnutrition by 20% through an integrated health system strengthening approach. The baseline assessment covered 38 enumeration areas (villages) across the 29 sub-districts of Socotra.
Preliminary results show that 93% of targeted health facilities were surveyed. Data were collected from 4,214 households as part of the household listing process. Field teams conducted over 930 caregiver interviews, and took anthropometric measurement from eligible children and mothers, exceeding the initial target, and facilitated 12 focus group discussions with diverse community groups. All 15 planned key informant interviews with relevant and multi-sectoral stakeholders including local and national authorities, donor and UN agencies were completed. The teams also conducted 546 client exit interviews to gather beneficiary feedback on the services provided, exceeding the initial target.
The baseline assessment will now move into the data cleaning, verification and analysis phase, paving the way for a final report that will reveal the current status of the maternal and child health and nutrition status of the community and health facilities readiness and performance, including for health emergencies preparedness and response to guide evidence-based planning for the next phases of intervention, helping ensure that response activities align with identified community needs and health facilities priorities.
Upcoming stages of the joint project implementation include the procurement and distribution of medical and non-medical supplies, recruitment and deployment of technical experts and service providers, technical training programmes and community awareness campaigns. Activities will be implemented in coordination with WHO, the Ministry of Public Health and Population and other partners, ensuring alignment with national health strategies.
The efforts reflect the UAE’s data-driven humanitarian approach, implemented in partnership with leading international health organizations to create sustainable impact and improve public health indicators among the most vulnerable populations.
WHO remains committed to supporting joint efforts that enhance the resilience of the health system and local communities in Yemen and improve health outcomes for all and will continue to work with local authorities and partners to ensure access to all communities, including those in hard-to-reach areas.
WHO and UNICEF launch polio vaccination campaign targeting over 1.3 million children in Government of Yemen-controlled areas
12 July 2025, Aden, Yemen – A new round of polio vaccination for children begins this week in Government of Yemen-controlled areas.
The 3-day campaign, running from 12 to 14 July 2025, aims to boost population immunity in high-risk areas and prevent further spread of the virus by administering novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) to more than 1.3 million children in 120 districts across 12 governorates. The intervention comes in response to cases in the community and the continued confirmed circulation of variant type 2 poliovirus (cVDPV2) in environmental samples.
“Yemen remains at high risk for poliovirus outbreaks due to protracted conflict, weakened health systems and low routine immunization coverage,” said Acting WHO Representative in Yemen Dr Ferima Coulbibaly-Zerbo. “With poliovirus continuing to circulate and cases confirmed in 2025, these campaigns are essential to interrupt transmission and protect every child from the debilitating effects of polio.”
Since 2021, Yemen has reported a total of 282 cVDPV2 cases across 122 districts in 19 of the country’s 22 governorates, with 98% of cases occurring in children under the age of 5. The overall epidemiological trend highlights the urgent need for nOPV-2 vaccine to halt cVDPV circulation in southern governorates and protect children from the disease.
The campaign is led by the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MoPHP) with support from World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).
It will be carried out by almost 7,000 vaccination teams, including over 6,000 mobile door-to-door teams and 800 teams at health facilities. Nearly 2,000 team supervisors and 240 district-level supervisors will oversee the campaign, with technical support from national and partner agencies.
“The campaign is an important and urgent step to protect children from being paralysed by the poliovirus. With confirmed cases of polio among Yemeni children, an imminent threat persists, especially for every unvaccinated child. But, through vaccination, we can keep our children safe,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative to Yemen.
WHO and UNICEF, as core partners of GPEI, are fully committed to supporting the Government of Yemen in its efforts to eradicate polio and strengthen routine immunization services. Continued investment and coordinated action are essential to ensure no child is left behind.
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.
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. For more information about UNICEF and its work for children visit http://www.unicef.org/yemen
Media contacts
WHO Yemen:
UNICEF Yemen:
Every drop counts: how clean water is restoring hope to Yemen’s hospitals
25 June 2025, Aden, Yemen – Before the water trucks started arriving, each morning at the hospital began with uncertainty.
“We used to check the water tanks before we checked on patients,” says Amal, a nurse at a Khalifa Hospital in Yemen. “If there was no water, we had to rethink everything –sterilization, wound care, even washing hands.”
Water, a simple and essential resource, had become increasingly scarce in Yemen’s overburdened health facilities. Without it, health care workers like Amal had to make difficult decisions every day.
“You can’t clean an operating room or safely deliver a baby without water,” she says. “But often, no water was a daily reality.”
Things began to shift when WHO launched to restore access to safe water in hospitals through “Improved WASH Services in Hospitals with Sustainable Water Supply” project, supported by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief),to serve the most vulnerable populations in Yemen. With this initiative, 60 health care facilities now receive regular trucks of clean water, allowing to better serve 580,000 people, many of them displaced or living in high-risk areas.
A matter of survival
Before the intervention, water shortages led to critical procedures being postponed and the closure of delivery rooms. Sanitation and basic infection prevention protocols were compromised.
“We sometimes had to send patients elsewhere, not because we lacked doctors, but because we had no water,” says Dr. Mohammed, Head of Nursing Department at Taiz Psychiatric Hospital,. “It was painful for everyone involved.”
Today, with regular water deliveries and a water quality control system in place, project hospitals can function more reliably. Disinfection routines are followed, surgical wards are active and basic hygiene is no longer a daily struggle.
“We’ve regained stability. Staff are less stressed and patients are safer,” says Dr.Mohammed.
Delivering more than a water
Behind the scenes are people like Hussein, a water trucking supervisor, who oversees distribution to more than 50 hospitals in 5 governorates.
“Every tank we deliver is tested and treated before use,” he explains. “And when a hospital calls to say they’ve received the delivery, we know we’ve helped someone get care they can trust.”
There have been challenges along the way, rough roads, occasional contamination and the pressure to meet growing needs. But the impact, Hussein adds, makes it worth it.
“Clean water doesn’t just improve services, it protects lives.”
New standards of care
Amal senses the change in every corner of Khalifa Hospital.
“Now we can focus on patient care, not just on coping. We’re able to follow proper hygiene steps and respond quickly in emergencies. That makes a real difference, especially in maternity and surgery.”
Infections are down, Staff morale is up, and for the first time in years, patients-and their relatives are expressing satisfaction with the cleanliness and safety of facilities.
“Even visitors notice,” says Amal. “People are no longer afraid to come here for service.”
Thankful for every drop
“Thank you for seeing this need, for responding before things got worse,” says Amal.
“This wasn’t just about infrastructure,” adds Mohammed. “It was about restoring dignity and trust to health care in Yemen.”
With KSrelief’s fund, safe water has returned to places where hope was fading, and with it, the ability of health care workers to do what they are trained to do. Save lives, safely and with dignity.
WHO and UAE launch joint programme to reduce malnutrition among Yemenis on Socotra Island
01 June 2025 – The World Health Organization (WHO), in partnership with the Government of the United Arab Emirates through the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation for Humanitarian Work (an affiliate of Erth Zayed Philanthropies), and in close coordination with Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population (MoPHP), has launched a comprehensive programme to combat malnutrition in Socotra, a Yemeni island in the Indian Ocean.
Socotra is facing malnutrition challenges driven by food insecurity, as well as repeated outbreaks of cholera, measles and dengue fever. Health and nutrition services are critically under-resourced, placing children under 5 and pregnant and lactating women at extreme risk of preventable illness and death.
The island’s more than 83 000 residents are served by 32 health facilities which are under immense strain. It lacks a central public health laboratory, a functional drug warehouse and a medical prepositioning system, all of which are essential for timely emergency response and sustainable health care delivery.
The fragile health system suffers from a lack of skilled health personnel, essential medicines and emergency readiness mechanisms. Maternal health indicators are alarming, with 92.7% of pregnant women anemic and antenatal care attendance low. Around 37% of children have yet to receive a single vaccine dose. The global acute malnutrition (GAM) rate stands at 10.9% and the severe acute malnutrition (SAM) rate at 1.6%, indicating a serious public health emergency.
“This programme reflects a joint commitment by WHO and the UAE to improving the health and well-being of vulnerable populations, particularly mothers and children, while reinforcing healthcare systems in crisis-affected areas. In partnership with national authorities, we are working to create more resilient, equitable, and responsive health services for the people of Socotra, establishing a foundation for long-term health security on the island and contributing to a stronger and healthier Yemen,” said Acting WHO Representative in Yemen Dr Ferima Coulibaly-Zerbo.
The initiative began with a baseline health and nutrition survey conducted between 24 and 30 May 2025. Over the next two, years the project aims to reduce mortality related to poor health and malnutrition by 20% through an integrated health system strengthening approach. The project aims to:
enhance maternal and child health service coverage in 80% of health facilities within the next 24 months;
strengthen outbreak preparedness and disaster risk reduction by equipping health care facilities and build staff capacity so they can respond effectively to epidemic-prone diseases and cyclone-related emergencies;
establish a multisectoral health and nutrition coordination platform that enables quarterly strategic planning meetings between WHO, UAE, MoPHP and partners;
generate real-time evidence-based data through the baseline health and nutrition survey conducted between 24 and 30 May 2025; and
strengthen routine health information reporting/ system to track progress on service utilization, morbidity and mortality.
“H.E. Mohamed Haji Al Khouri, Director General of the Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation for Humanitarian Work, stressed the UAE’s humanitarian and global responsibility to develop communities and enhance critical health services. “This stems from the enduring humanitarian legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. We are determined to effectively address food and health challenges faced by women and children in Socotra, in collaboration with the WHO,” he said.
Al Khouri explained that the Khalifa Foundation, an affiliate of Erth Zayed Philanthropies, would work with the WHO to develop appropriate solutions to nutritional and health challenges using a new survey based on current data. “The joint initiative aims to reduce maternal and child mortality caused by malnutrition through a comprehensive plan of action. This will enhance maternal, infant, and child care services, and improve emergency preparedness and response to epidemics,” he added.“
For media inquiries, please contact:
WHO Yemen Communications Team
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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 health worker’s fight against cholera in Yemen
27 May 2025, Aden, Yemen – For years, Yemen has been fighting outbreaks of cholera and other epidemic prone diseases. In the bustling streets of Aden, where life continues against what often seem insurmountable odds, Al-Mualla Diarrhoea Treatment Centre (DTC) provides a beacon of hope for families battling the devastating impacts of cholera.
Behind every life saved is a story of determination, compassion and unrelenting dedication – stories like that of Dr Khalid Mohammed Jaber, an internal medicine specialist working at Al-Mualla, on the forefront of the battle against cholera.
Dr Khalid’s efforts, supported by the US$ 3 million King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief)-funded cholera response project, have helped transform Al-Mualla facility into a lifeline for those most in need. From providing free of charge care to spreading awareness about prevention, his work shows what targeted funding can achieve.
“Every patient feels like one of my own children”
For Dr Khalid, treating cholera patients is more than a job – it is a vocation rooted in empathy.
“When a patient recovers, it feels as if one of my own children has been healed,” he said. “The joy is immeasurable. It reassures me that my efforts are making a difference.”
By ensuring the availability of essential treatments, diagnostic tools and follow-up care, the KSrelief project has significantly enhanced the Centre's capacity to care for cholera patients. According to Dr Khalid, the support has made a substantial difference. It allows patients to access previously inaccessible care for free, alleviating the financial burden on families and allowing the Centre to deliver effective treatments on time.
Despite these achievements, challenges remain. Dr Khalid emphasized the importance of public awareness in preventing cholera.
“Health education is crucial,” he said. “I use every opportunity – at the clinic, in mosques, during conversations – to inform people about the importance of handwashing, food safety and environmental hygiene.”
There are varying levels of understanding within the community. Dr Khalid observed that while some individuals recognize the importance of these practices, others struggle to adapt and change their habits. Acknowledging that progress takes time, he is optimistic that meaningful change can be achieved.
Sustaining the fight against cholera
In Yemen, where many families struggle to afford even a basic meal, the KSrelief-funded cholera response project has become a lifeline for the country’s most vulnerable, offering hope and tangible support in the fight against cholera.
By reducing the financial burden of treatment, the project has made health care more accessible. By providing essential resources and supplies, it helps ensure that health care facilities are equipped to respond to outbreaks. Through comprehensive training and capacity-building programmes, it empowers health workers to deliver effective care and protect their communities from this devastating disease.
By prioritizing the accurate dissemination of information, the project effectively addresses misinformation and helps ensure accurate messages reach communities, fostering better awareness and understanding.
Through a multifaceted approach, the project not only addresses immediate health crises, it is helping to lay the foundations for long-term health resilience in Yemen. This collaborative effort highlights how partnerships can create meaningful change, bringing lifesaving support to those who need it most.
“The funding allows us to work with dedication and honesty, lifting the burden from our patients’ shoulders. But the fight isn’t over – we must continue to raise awareness and provide care until cholera is no longer a threat,” said Dr Khalid.
At Al-Mualla DTC in Aden, every patient treated represents a life saved—a life that could have been lost without the critical, life-saving intervention provided through this important intervention.
Since its launch, this project has given a second chance to 250 individuals, including 178 patients suffering from moderate to severe dehydration who were admitted for urgent treatment between November 1 and December 18, 2024. These patients were on the brink of losing their lives to cholera, a ruthless disease that can claim lives within hours due to rapid fluid and electrolyte loss.
Their survival is a powerful testament to this intervention, transforming what could have been tragedies into stories of hope and recovery. Each case is not just a number, but a life saved—a mother, father, child, or sibling. With the continuation such important support, countless more lives can be spared, preserving families, futures, and communities.
KSrelief support to this centre along with four additional centres, essential medicines and medical supplies, training and supervision of health workers and incentives for staff working 24/7. This vital support ensures that those affected by cholera can access timely care, preventing further suffering and saving lives across Yemen.
