Cholera death toll rises to 2,127 in war-torn Yemen: WHO

Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 06:11:28|Editor: yan
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SANAA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Cholera epidemic has killed 2,127 in war-ravaged Yemen since it broke out in late April, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Saturday.

More than 767,524 people from 22 provinces out of total 23 have been infected, WHO said in a statement on its website.

Most of the suspected cases and deaths were reported from northern provinces, which are under control of Shiite Houthi rebels.

The death toll has increased by 124 comparing with the last WHO report nine days ago, while the suspected cases have risen by 62,980.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) expected the epidemic to hit one million by the end of the year.

The war in Yemen, which has lasted more than two years and a half, has destroyed the bulk of the country's water and sanitation systems, with more than half of Yemen's health facilities out of service, and about 15 million people gaining no access to safe water and basic healthcare.

The war has also pushed the country into the brink of famine, with an estimated 385,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, thus putting them at heightened risk of acute watery diarrhea and cholera, according to the UN agencies.

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