Around 20 million Yemenis live in areas at risk of malaria transmission, while up to 1 million new malaria cases are estimated to ravage Yemen every year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
In its most recent report, the agency said that in partnership with the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, it established a project to fight malaria in Yemen.
“As Yemen remains besieged by outbreaks of malaria and other vector-borne diseases, WHO in partnership with the KSRelief, established the Malaria Control and Prevention Project to support malaria dengue vector control and prevention” WHO said.
It stressed that this project provides technical assistance at national and subnational levels ranging from case surveillance and management to capacity-building for malaria diagnosis and treatments at public health facilities and through community visits.
WHO explained that human malaria is the most common vector-borne disease in Yemen, with approximately 65 percent of the total population at risk of infection.
In response to this situation, the agency said a very important part of its work across Yemen has been supporting volunteer health workers by providing rapid diagnostic tests and medicines, building capacity through basic training on malaria case detection and treatment, and educating communities on the importance of prevention.
It revealed that Yemen remains besieged by outbreaks of malaria and other vector-borne diseases. “It is critical to sustain and scale up malaria control and integrated vector management efforts in communities across the country,” according to the report.
Separately, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said this week that its humanitarian assistance has been ramped up on Yemen's west coast where ongoing violence has increased the needs of communities displaced by years of conflict.
It revealed that since 2017, when mass displacement in the area began, tens of thousands of people have struggled to survive in hard-to-reach areas where public services and humanitarian assistance are extremely limited.
More than 17,000 displaced families are now living in more than 140 displacement sites, while ongoing fighting continues, IOM said. Most recently, clashes in eastern Al Tuhayta district have displaced more than 200 families, to safer areas in the west.
The organization said it has implemented lifesaving interventions in 13 displacement sites, including providing shelter, clean water, latrines, cash and essential relief items to thousands of families in need, as one of the few international humanitarian organizations operating in the area.
IOM also revealed that alongside donors and partners, it has coordinated services in displacement sites and has promoted longer-term recovery with transitional shelters, rehabilitating water networks, increased COVID-19 testing and the construction of flood risk reduction walls.
IOM Yemen Chief of Mission Christa Rottensteiner urged donors and other partners to commit more significant investments to ease the levels of desperation facing too many people on the west coast.
