Yemen's Cholera Outbreak Is Out Of Control

The situation in Yemen is deteriorating with UN officials warning the country is now facing the world's biggest famine in decades. They have said that unless the Saudi-led coalition lifts its blockade and allows the flow of international aid to resume, millions of people will be affected. The blockade was imposed after Houthi rebels fired a missile at Riyadh, though it was intercepted and destroyed before it struck the Saudi capital. Alongside the threat of mass-famine, Yemen is also contending with the fastest growing cholera epidemic ever recorded.

In mid-July, there were 350,000 suspected cases and by November 5th, that had increased rapidly to 908,400 with 80 percent of districts across 22 governates affected. Half of all suspected cases are children. The Red Cross has said that a shipment of chlorine tablets vital in curbing the epidemic has been blocked due to the blockade, worsening the situation even further. Since the Saudi coalition intervened in Yemen's civil war, 8,670 people have been killed and just under 50,000 have been injured, 60 percent of whom were civilians.