19 May 2017•Update: 19 May 2017
By Fatih Erel
GENEVA
More than 240 people died from cholera in the past three weeks in Yemen, according to the World Health Organization on Friday.
"The total number of reported cases in three weeks in Yemen is 23,425 cases and 242 deaths," WHO Yemen representative, Nevio Zagaria, told reporters in UN Office at Geneva by phone.
The cholera cases in the country could reach 300,000 within six months, Zagaria warned.
"We need to expect something that could go up to over 200,000-250,000 cases over the next six months, in addition to the 50,000 cases that have already occurred," Zagaria said.
"The speed of the resurgence of this cholera epidemic is unprecedented," he added.
Yemen has fallen into civil war in 2014 after Houthi rebels overran capital Sanaa and other provinces.
In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a massive air campaign aimed at reversing Houthi gains and shoring up Yemen’s pro-Saudi government.
According to UN officials, more than 10,000 Yemenis have been killed in the conflict to date, while more than 11 percent of the country’s total population have been displaced from their homes.
