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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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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.
