With the support of USAID, WHO and INTERSOS have been working together to provide urgent assistance to the population in need of primary and secondary health and nutrition services in Lahj governorate.

15 March 2021 – Driven by years of conflict, the human-made crisis in Yemen has resulted in a near collapse of an already fragile public infrastructure, further exacerbating the population’s humanitarian needs with each year of the conflict.   

Health services are not an exception as nearly 17.9 million people needed health care services in 2020, and the situation is not expected to improve in 2021.

At the same time, the health system has been devastated, with only half of the health facilities fully or partially functioning and still lacking basic requirements such as fuel, water, essential medical supplies, and qualified health staff.

With the support of USAID, the World Health Organization (WHO) and INTERSOS have been working together since January 2020 to provide urgent assistance to the population in need of primary and secondary health and nutrition services. The joint project included supporting 11 health facilities across the districts of Tuban, Radfan, Al-Milah, Al-Maqatira and Al-Mudaraba wa Al-Ara in Lahj governorate and reinforcing outreach and referral mechanisms with a network of community health volunteers.

Doa’a, a 30-year-old woman from Al-Milah district, was grazing sheep when she stumbled and fell on a sharp rusty iron bar. She was rushed to Dar Shiban Health (Al-Milah district) for emergency care. “We received Doa’a in bad condition, but the treatment was provided timely to prevent secondary infection. She was kept under observation for one week until she recovered,” said Abdulmontaser Moqbal, a medical doctor at the centre.   

The partnership also aims at reducing morbidity and mortality of the most vulnerable conflict-affected populations. It focuses on children under 5 and pregnant and lactating women in the targeted districts by providing trauma emergency and surgical services and primary health services, including outpatient consultations, immunization, and basic clinical management.  

The partnership aims to reduce morbidity and mortality among the most vulnerable conflict-affected populations focusing on children under 5 and pregnant and lactating women in targeted districts

Marwan, a 7-year-old boy from Al-Milah district, was admitted to Dar Shiban health centre because of high fever, chest pain, respiratory difficulties, and severe nausea. The medical team identified a chest infection and provided the needed medication, including antibiotics, oxygen support, and intravenous fluids until Marwan’s condition stabilized. Following discharge, he was put under follow up visits until his full recovery. 

Abdullah, a 35-year-old man from Tuban district, had an accident with his motorbike. When he was brought to the health unit at Dar Al-Manasrah health unit, he suffered from an arm fracture and multiple wounds. “The pain I felt because of the fracture was unbearable, but the medication provided by the medical assistant relieved the pain,” said Abdullah. 

“Having access to health services is a luxury in our conflict-affected country. We thank the humanitarian organizations that provided health services and essential medication,” Abdullah concluded.

Thanks to support from the Government of Japan, WHO has supported 20 diphtheria treatment centres in Yemen, including at As Sabeen Hospital in Sana'a

28 February 2021 – The humanitarian emergency in Yemen has forced the health situation into a critical state. The ongoing conflict in several areas of the country has negatively impacted the functioning of health facilities as medical staff have fled the country or became displaced. Since 2015, health workers have not regularly received their salaries. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation, further complicating the population's access to health care services at a time when the need for health care is critical. 

At the same time, several high-threat infectious pathogens continue to be endemic in Yemen, posing public health threats to the population. Data from 2020 show that cholera, dengue, and diphtheria were the top 3 diseases aside from COVID-19, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality among the population. 

In March 2020, the World Health Organization and the Government of Japan joined forces to strengthen the emergency response to meet the needs of the most vulnerable populations in Yemen. With the generous US$ 363 636 contribution from the Government of Japan, WHO has been able to implement a comprehensive disease prevention and control programme to combat high-threat infectious pathogens in the country.

Within the project timeframe, WHO provided life-saving medications to the population affected by diphtheria, including internally displaced communities and host communities. A total of 24 309 diphtheria patients and their contacts across Yemen were reached with essential diphtheria medication. Twenty health facilities were supported with diphtheria medication to ensure essential medication for vulnerable people.

After 10 days of treatment at the diphteria treatment centre in As Sabeen Hospital supported by WHO and the Government of Japan, Mohamed is ready to be discharched

After 10 days of treatment at the diphteria treatment centre in As Sabeen Hospital supported by WHO and the Government of Japan, Mohamed is ready to be discharched.

To prevent mosquito-to-human transmission and improve care for dengue patients, WHO supported health authorities in conducting 6 fogging and spraying campaigns in 7 districts in the governorates of Abyan, Shabwa, and Taizz, protecting 814 000 people, including 90 000 internally displaced persons. WHO also facilitated the training of 63 health workers on dengue case management and 60 community leaders on community prevention. The support contributed to a significant reduction in the areas most affected by dengue.

The project also supported a field epidemiology training programme, a 6-month training course for 54 fellows on basic field epidemiology and outbreak investigation. This intensive capacity-building programme strengthened the field epidemiology skills of district surveillance coordinators working in the most outbreak-affected governorates, enabling them to better respond to epidemic-prone diseases.

WHO and the Ministry of Public Health and Population will build on the successes achieved through this project in protecting health security in Yemen. It is envisioned that the field epidemiology training programme's capacity strengthening will be utilized immediately, especially amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The communities that have been empowered to prevent dengue and the health care workers that have learned to provide quality medical care to dengue patients will continue to apply the knowledge and skills they gained through the training provided through this project. 

"The generous support from the people of Japan enabled WHO to help health authorities meet the most urgent health needs of people affected by diphtheria, as well as capacity-building needs for public health responders who are working tirelessly in Yemen. On behalf of all people in Yemen, WHO expresses sincere appreciation to the people of Japan for extending their support," said Dr Adham Ismail, WHO representative in Yemen. 

The Government of Japan has played a critical role in supporting WHO's humanitarian response in Yemen, donating more than US$ 11.2 million between 2015 and 2019. In July 2020, Japan contributed US$ 3 million to support mental health care across Yemen, where hundreds of thousands have been impacted by psychosocial stressors caused by war, hardship, illness, and family separation.

Humanitarian crisis continues to exert a terrible toll on children, warn FAO, UNICEF, WFP and WHO

Sana’a/Aden/Rome/New York/Geneva, 12 February 2021 – Nearly 2.3 million children under the age of 5 in Yemen are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition in 2021, 4 United Nations agencies warned today. Of these, 400 000 are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition and could die if they do not receive urgent treatment.

The new figures, from the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Acute Malnutrition report released today by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund), the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, mark an increase in acute malnutrition and severe acute malnutrition of 16% and 22%, respectively, among children under 5 years from 2020. 

The agencies also warned that these were among the highest levels of severe acute malnutrition recorded in Yemen since the escalation of conflict in 2015.

Malnutrition damages a child’s physical and cognitive development, especially during the first 2 years of a child’s life. It is largely irreversible, perpetuating illness, poverty and inequality.

Preventing malnutrition and addressing its devastating impact starts with good maternal health, yet around 1.2 million pregnant or breastfeeding women in Yemen are projected to be acutely malnourished in 2021.

Years of armed conflict and economic decline, the COVID-19 pandemic and a severe funding shortfall for the humanitarian response are pushing exhausted communities to the brink, with rising levels of food insecurity. Many families are having to resort to reducing the quantity or quality of the food they eat, and in some cases, families are forced to do both.

“The increasing number of children going hungry in Yemen should shock us all into action,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “More children will die with every day that passes without action. Humanitarian organizations need urgent predictable resources and unhindered access to communities on the ground to be able to save lives.”

“Families in Yemen have been in the grip of conflict for too long, and more recent threats such as COVID-19 have only been adding to their relentless plight,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu. “Without security and stability across the country, and improved access to farmers so that they are provided with the means to resume growing enough and nutritious food, Yemen’s children and their families will continue to slip deeper into hunger and malnutrition.”

“These numbers are yet another cry for help from Yemen where each malnourished child also means a family struggling to survive” said WFP Executive Director David Beasley. “The crisis in Yemen is a toxic mix of conflict, economic collapse and a severe shortage of funding to provide the life-saving help that’s desperately needed. But there is a solution to hunger, and that’s food and an end to the violence. If we act now, then there is still time to end the suffering of Yemen’s children.”

Diseases and a poor health environment are key drivers of childhood malnutrition,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “At the same time, malnourished children are more vulnerable to diseases including diarrhea, respiratory infections and malaria, which are of great concern in Yemen, among others. It is a vicious and often deadly cycle, but with relatively cheap and simple interventions, many lives can be saved.”

Acute malnutrition among young children and mothers in Yemen has increased with each year of conflict with a significant deterioration during 2020 driven by high rates of disease, such as diarrhoea, respiratory tract infections and cholera, and rising rates of food insecurity. Among the worst hit governorates are Aden, Al Dhale, Hajjah, Hodeida, Lahj, Taiz and Sana'a City, which account for over half of expected acute malnutrition cases in 2021.

Today, Yemen is one of the most dangerous places in the world for children to grow up. The country has high rates of communicable diseases, limited access to routine immunization and health services for children and families, poor infant and young child feeding practices, and inadequate sanitation and hygiene systems.  

Meanwhile, the already fragile health care system is facing the collateral impact of COVID-19, which has drained meagre resources and resulted in fewer people seeking medical care.

The dire situation for Yemen’s youngest children and mothers means any disruptions to humanitarian services – from health to water, sanitation and hygiene, to nutrition, food assistance and livelihoods support – risk causing a deterioration in their nutrition status.

The humanitarian response remains critically underfunded. In 2020, the Humanitarian Response plan received US$ 1.9 billion of the US$ 3.4 billion required.

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Notes for editors

Multimedia materials available here: https://weshare.unicef.org/Package/2AM40805FSQX

IPC report links:

          Full report: https://bit.ly/2N1WMyt

Analysis page: http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/alerts-archive/issue-34/en/

About WFP: The United Nations World Food Programme is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. We are the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

About FAO: The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Our goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With over 194 members, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.