The Lancet Infectious Diseases: Cholera in Yemen: war, hunger, disease … and heroics
Editorial Board

“The harms done by war are many and complex. Death, injury, and displacement are the most obvious, but infection is also closely intertwined with conflict. Across the Middle East and Africa, outbreaks of infection have occurred as a direct effect of war, compounded by food and water shortages, displacement, and damage to infrastructure and health services. Nowhere is this web of interconnections more clear than in the cholera epidemic in Yemen. … The toxic mix of conflict, disease, and famine is not confined to Yemen. Outbreaks of cholera have also been reported recently in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan, and it is no coincidence that the disease has emerged in countries dealing with wider humanitarian crises brought about by fighting, drought, and displacement. … Aug. 19 marks the U.N.’s World Humanitarian Day. Not only is it time to raise awareness of humanitarian crises around the world, but also it’s a chance to applaud the bravery and dedication of health workers and others striving to alleviate suffering in the most dire situations…” (August 2017).