War, Economic Collapse Severely Impacting Yemen’s Health Care System, Allowing Diseases To Spread

Reuters: Starving girl shows impact of Yemen war, economic collapse
“Displaced by war, starving, and living under a tree, 12-year-old Fatima Qoba weighed just 10kg when she was carried into a Yemeni malnutrition clinic. … Qoba’s slide into starvation is typical of what is happening in much of Yemen, where war and economic collapse have driven around 10 million people to the brink of famine, according to the United Nations…” (Barrington et al., 2/14).

U.N. News: Humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains the worst in the world, warns U.N.
“An estimated 24 million people — close to 80 percent of the population — need assistance and protection in Yemen, the U.N. warned on Thursday. With famine threatening hundreds of thousands of lives, humanitarian aid is increasingly becoming the only lifeline for millions across the country…” (2/14).

Xinhua News: Feature: Lethal swine flu spreads in war-torn Yemen amid collapse of health system
“…Plagued by cholera, malnutrition, diphtheria, and now swine flu, the Arab country is unable to cope with the most deadly epidemics as its four years of civil war has almost destroyed its health care system…” (al-Azaki, 2/17).

The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.

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