11 February 2026, Aden, Yemen – In Yemen, emergencies arrive without warning – and often in numbers that overwhelm fragile health systems.

Across Marib and Taiz, hospitals are receiving a steady flow of patients injured by road traffic crashes, explosions and gunfire. Many arrive in critical condition. For them, survival depends on minutes: on whether trained teams are available, operating theatres are functional and essential supplies are within reach.

The medical team at Al-Thawarah Hospital performs a surgical operation, providing critical and lifesaving care to patients. Photo credit: WHO 

At Marib General Hospital, one of the country’s busiest referral facilities, trauma cases frequently arrive in waves. Dr Abdulrab Al-Salihi, a general surgery consultant who has worked at the hospital since its establishment, describes the pressure facing frontline teams: “Sometimes we receive 5 to 15 critical cases at the same time – from traffic accidents, explosions, or shootings. We must triage immediately and act fast to save lives.”

Marib now hosts one of the largest populations of internally displaced people in Yemen, placing extraordinary strain on already stretched health services. Despite these challenges, emergency surgeries continue around the clock – saving women, young adults and families arriving with little more than hope.

According to Abdulkareem Ali Hussein Hamid, Acting Chairman of the Marib Hospital Authority, recent support has made a tangible difference in how emergencies are managed. He explains that the presence of supported surgical teams has reduced waiting times and improved staff efficiency in handling complex and critical cases, strengthening the hospital’s overall emergency response capacity.

These gains are being sustained through strengthened emergency systems supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), with funding from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), helping ensure that operating theatres remain functional and life-saving care continues when it is needed most.

Doctors perform an endoscopy procedure on a patient, carefully examining the internal organs. They work together to ensure the procedure is safe, while monitoring the patient’s condition throughout.  Photo credit: WHO

Between October and December 2025, this support translated into tangible, life-saving impact across three referral hospitals—Al Thawrah and Al Gamhouri hospitals in Taiz, and Marib General Hospital. More than 700 surgical procedures were performed, restoring mobility and saving lives, while 3,572 patients received critical consultations, triaging, and timely care. For frontline staff, however, impact is not measured in numbers alone, but in lives touched. Salma Abdulilah Abdullah Shard, a pharmacist at Marib General Hospital, recalls a moment that continues to define her work: “A child was brought to the emergency room with no heartbeat. The team continued resuscitation for more than 40 minutes. When the heartbeat returned, it felt as if life itself had been restored.”

Hundreds of kilometres away, the same urgency defines care at Al-Thawra General Hospital in Taiz. Once severely damaged by years of conflict – some facilities losing up to 80–90% of their capacity – the hospital is gradually restoring emergency and surgical services and now serves patients from four neighbouring governorates.

For patients, the impact of improved emergency care is immediate and deeply personal. Ibrahim Ali Ghaleb, who was rushed to Al-Thawra Hospital after a serious road accident, recalls the speed and coordination of the response: “All the doctors came immediately and worked as one team. I was treated, taken to surgery and cared for without neglect. This hospital saves lives and needs continued support.”

Across both Marib and Taiz, emergency trauma care remains fragile – but operational. Surgeons work through the night, pharmacists manage scarce supplies and generators keep operating theatres running during power cuts.

With ECHO’s support, these hospitals are not only responding to emergencies – they are restoring trust, dignity and the chance of survival for people injured by conflict and displacement.

In a country where every minute can decide a life, this support is not optional.
It is lifesaving.

04 February 2026, Aden, Yemen – In Yemen’s remote high-altitude valleys, communities have lived for generations with sowda, a severe form of onchocerciasis (commonly known as “river blindness”), that causes debilitating skin disease, stigma and long-term suffering. Years of conflict, rugged terrain and chronic funding gaps have left many families without access to treatment.

Door-to-door treatment brings lifesaving onchocerciasis prevention to remote communities in Yemen. Photo credit: WHO/Yemen

In 2025, that reality began to change. Under the leadership of the Ministry of Public Health and Population, and with technical and operational support from WHO, Yemen implemented one of its most ambitious onchocerciasis mass drug administration (MDA) campaigns yet – reaching populations long considered unreachable.

Reflecting on this shift, Dr Ali Al-Waleedi, Deputy Minister for the Primary Health Care Sector, observes that for decades entire families had lived with sowda without ever receiving treatment. He says the campaign fundamentally changed that reality, as health teams crossed mountains, facing insecurity and isolation, to reach every household – demonstrating that no community in Yemen is unreachable when commitment and the right strategy come together.

In December 2025, WHO supported the Ministry of Public Health and Population to redesign the MDA approach, moving from static distribution points to an intensive door-to-door strategy across 10 high-priority districts in Hajjah and Al-Mahweet governorates and 6 highly-endemic districts of Taiz governorate. Despite the difficult terrain and insecurity, the adapted approach achieved full geographical access, reaching 91% population coverage in Hajjah and Al-Mahweet and 86.5% in Taiz – well above the WHO-recommended 80% threshold for effective disease control.

Community leadership proved decisive. Dr Ahmed Thabit, National Professional Officer at WHO Yemen, highlights that the campaign was driven by communities themselves. With WHO’s guidance, local volunteers – especially women – became the backbone of implementation, building trust, entering homes that had never been reached before and ensuring every dose protected a life. In Hajjah and Al-Mahweet, 419 community health volunteers, more than half of them women, safely administered over 732 000 donated Mectizan® tablets, protecting hundreds of thousands of people from infection.

Sustaining these gains amid shrinking resources was equally critical. Earlier, in September 2025, WHO had worked closely with the Ministry of Public Health and Population and partners to prevent a dangerous interruption of MDA activities in the 6 highly-endemic districts of Taiz. Dr Nasreen, Director of the Negelected Tropical Disease Programme at the Minsitry, notes that at a time when funding gaps threatened to reverse years of progress, maintaining treatment was essential to prevent resurgence. By optimizing limited resources and using 470 179 donated Mectizan® tablets, the campaign safeguarded hard-won gains and kept Yemen on track toward eliminating onchocerciasis as a public health problem by 2030.

Together, these efforts show that elimination is possible – even in conflict-affected and resource-constrained settings. By adapting delivery strategies, empowering communities and sustaining partnerships, WHO and the Ministry of Public Health and Population continue to translate global commitments into life-changing impact for Yemen’s most vulnerable populations.

These achievements prove that with targeted investment, adaptive strategies and community leadership, even the most complex challenges can be overcome. By sustaining treatment, empowering volunteers and protecting hard-won gains, WHO and the Ministry of Public Health and Population are keeping Yemen on track to eliminate onchocerciasis as a public health problem by 2030. Continued financial support from partners – through the integration of vector control and MDA activities for all neglected tropical diseases – is critical to ensure that progress is not only maintained but accelerated until elimination is reached.

WHO urges sustained commitment to protect progress against neglected tropical diseases in Yemen

30 January 2026 – Aden, Yemen – On World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day 2026, marked under the theme “Unite. Act. Eliminate.”, the World Health Organization (WHO) in Yemen renews its call for collective action to end NTDs as a cornerstone of health equity, resilience and sustainable development.

NTDs continue to affect more than 1 billion people globally. In Yemen, diseases such as leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis, leprosy, trachoma and dengue fever remain deeply entrenched in the most vulnerable communities. Years of protracted conflict, repeated climate shocks and a severely fragmented health system have intensified exposure to these diseases and constrained access to timely prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Despite these challenges, global experience shows that elimination is achievable. By 2024, the number of people worldwide requiring NTD treatment declined to 1.4 billion, representing a 36% reduction since 2010. As the world enters 2026, 58 countries have eliminated at least one NTD, demonstrating tangible progress towards WHO’s 2030 target of 100 countries achieving elimination.

Yemen now stands at a critical crossroads. Sharp reductions in global health financing risk undermining more than a decade of progress against NTDs. Underfunded programmes do not merely slow momentum: they create conditions for disease resurgence, threatening lives, livelihoods, and economic stability – particularly among marginalized populations already bearing the brunt of conflict and poverty.

Dr Syed Jaffar Hussain, WHO Representative to Yemen, underscored the urgency of sustained commitment, stating: “Neglected tropical diseases thrive where health systems are weakest and communities are most vulnerable. In Yemen, progress against NTDs has shown that even in the most challenging settings, elimination is possible when commitment, funding and partnerships are sustained. Turning away now would not only reverse years of hard-won gains, but would condemn communities to entirely preventable suffering. Protecting the most vulnerable is not optional – it is our shared responsibility.”

Investing in NTD programmes remains one of the most cost-effective public health interventions. Evidence shows that preventive treatment and early care avert lifelong disability, protect children’s education, sustain adult productivity and strengthen primary health care from the ground up. In fragile and conflict-affected settings such as Yemen, these programmes also act as economic stabilizers, safeguarding human capital while reinforcing national health systems.

Climate change and ongoing conflict further compound the risk. Rising temperatures, flooding, population displacement and weakened infrastructure create ideal conditions for disease transmission. Without sustained investment, the gains achieved over the past decade could be rapidly erased.

On this World NTD Day, WHO calls on national authorities, donors and international partners to move beyond short-term emergency responses and commit to integrated, sustainable solutions. Maintaining funding for existing programmes, embedding NTD services within Yemen’s national health strategy and advancing a clear pathway toward greater domestic ownership are essential to securing progress and preventing resurgence.

By uniting behind these priorities today, Yemen can protect hard-won gains, accelerate progress toward elimination and build a healthier, more resilient future for its people.

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WHO Yemen Communications
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