GENEVA
UNICEF warned in a written statement Tuesday that children in Yemen face health risks because of the ongoing conflict.
Children in Yemen are not receiving vaccinations because medical centers lack the necessary facilities and families cannot take their children to the centers due to security concerns, according to UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Dr. Peter Salama.
Lack of vaccinations expose children to avoidable diseases such as measles, according to the UNICEF statement released Tuesday.
Malnutrition also poses increasing risks by endangering millions of children below five-years-old, according to the statement.
UNICEF said that at least 279 children have been killed and 402 others injured in the ongoing Yemeni conflict that started last March.
On March 25, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies had launched an extensive air campaign that has continued to pound Houthi positions across Yemen.
The Houthi militia seized control of capital Sanaa last September and has since managed to extend its influence to other parts of the country.
Saudi Arabia says its air campaign, now in its fourth month, comes in response to appeals by embattled Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi – who is currently in Saudi Arabia – for military intervention against the Shia militia.
The Houthis, for their part, denounce the air campaign as unwarranted “Saudi-American aggression” against Yemen.
