WHO addresses cholera outbreak in Yemen

(11 Oct 2016) LEAD IN: A cholera outbreak has gripped war-torn Yemen. The Al-Sabeen Maternity and Children Hospital in Sanaa has seen a rise in cases among children. STORY-LINE: In the past few days, eight cases have been discovered in the Al-Sabeen Maternity and Children Hospital. The United Nations says the outbreak poses an increased health risk to Yemenis, especially children, as the nation's health system crumbles. UNICEF is working to establish the exact scale of the outbreak, it says, which if not treated, can kill up to 15 percent of people affected in just a few hours. World Health Organisation (WHO) emergency expert Dr. Omar Saleh says there have been a number of confirmed and suspected cases. "There are 143 cases of acute intestinal diarrhoea....intestinal diarrhoea. Seventeen suspected cholera cases - seventeen!. Eleven confirmed cholera cases - eleven cases," he says. The World Health Organisation estimates that each year there are 1.3 to 4.0 million cases of cholera, and 21 000 to 143 000 deaths worldwide due to the disease. "In terms of the support for the hospital here now, Al-Sabeen hospital. The hospital has received liquids, antibiotics and necessary medicines to fight cholera. And regarding the distribution of medicines to other hospitals, as a proactive step that could happen, we are ready," says Omar Saleh. Yemen has been in a state of civil war since early 2015. Since then 10,000 people have died. Most of those infected will have no or mild symptoms, and can be successfully treated with oral rehydration solution. It is unclear if these children will receive the necessary treatment. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...