by Fuad Rajeh
SANAA, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from cholera in Yemen has risen to 1,560 and the suspected cases to 252,816 since April 27, as the doctors are warning the worst is yet to come.
Nashwan Aqlan, a doctor at Al-Jomhori Teaching Hospital in Sanaa said almost all interventions made by the authorities and international agencies are restricted to providing medicines and treatment for patients or documenting deaths and suspected cases, while the causes for this disease have not been addressed yet.
"We need more activities to raise awareness about cholera. Many people don't take precautions to prevent it, and many patients arrive at medical centers at the last moment before death. Most importantly, we need to address the collapse of the sanitation system," he said.
More than half of the population, 14.5 million, lack access to clean water and adequate sanitation services, the UN said, amid warnings the healthcare system is on the brink of total collapse.
Less than 45 percent of Yemen's hospitals are operational at the moment, but even those operational are facing huge challenges on top of which is the lack of medicines, medical equipment and staffs.
The public health and population ministry has allowed a specific number of hospitals and medical centers to treat people affected by cholera in a precaution to prevent further spread of the disease.
But the number of these hospitals and centers, 10 in the capital Sanaa and 18 in the governorate of Sanaa for example, is not enough, Aqlan said.
The numbers of infected people are large, let alone their lack of equipment such beds, he said. "Many patients are being treated on the floor or in the lobbies," he added.
In addition, there is a need to address shortages of medicines for patients with chronic diseases, heart and kidney for example, since these patients make up the majority of the deaths from cholera, doctors said.
Doctors expected the number of infected people could increase as the rains season is approaching. Some said the real cholera death toll is higher than the one published by the UN because deaths in remote areas are not reported.
