SANAA, June 3 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of months-long cholera in war-torn Yemen has risen to 605, with suspected cases exceeding 73,700, World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday.
"Cholera continues to spread in Yemen. Over 73,700 suspected cholera cases and 605 associated deaths have been reported in 19 governorates," WHO said on its official twitter account.
The death toll has rapidly increased two days after WHO put the figure at 532 and the number of suspected cases at 65,300 on Wednesday.
The deadly disease has been rapidly spreading across Yemen since April 27, WHO said.
The organization warned that the healthcare system in Yemen is on the verge of collapse as many hospitals have shut down because of the ongoing conflict, saying only 45 percent of Yemen's hospitals are operational, and they are facing a shortage of supplies and staff.
The impoverished Arab country in the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula has been locked in a civil war since 2015.
The war pits Iranian-allied dominant Houthi movement, backed by forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, against their foe of Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
The capital Sanaa and most of the northern provinces are under the control of Houthi rebels.
The war has so far killed more than 10,000, half of them civilians, and displaced over 2 million others, according to humanitarian agencies.
