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Measles, Smallpox on the Rise in Houthi-Controlled Areas

A child receives a vaccine against polio (United Nations)
A child receives a vaccine against polio (United Nations)
    Aden - Mohammed Nasser
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Measles, Smallpox on the Rise in Houthi-Controlled Areas

A child receives a vaccine against polio (United Nations)
A child receives a vaccine against polio (United Nations)

Yemeni medical sources in Houthi-controlled areas warned on Saturday of a health catastrophe facing the country as the militias continue to prevent vaccinations for deadly childhood diseases.

The sources said that medical facilities, including in Sanaa, recorded hundreds of polio, measles, and smallpox cases.

Medical sources in Sanaa told Asharq Al-Awsat that several epidemic diseases that Yemen eradicated have re-emerged.

Estimates of medical sources indicate that thousands of children are infected with these diseases, which can be prevented with vaccines.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) stated that last December, 15 children died from measles, and around 1,400 children in seven Yemeni provinces, including the southern Aden province, "were suspected of having measles" in the period between January and July.

The Houthi Ministry of Health recorded more than 18,000 cases of measles during the past year, as 131 children died.

Three doctors in the Houthi-controlled areas told Asharq Al-Awsat that the country is on the verge of a health disaster if the militias continue to prevent vaccinations and portray them as a Western conspiracy in schools, mosques, and their media.

The sources said that the militia leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, participated in the campaign targeting vaccines and claimed that the US and its supporters spread the diseases and various viruses. He also claimed they sell unsafe medicines and vaccines, which cause health complications.

Houthi Minister of Health, Taha al-Mutawakel, said the vaccine is not mandatory and that whoever insists on requesting vaccines must bear responsibility.

The Yemeni Ministry of Health in the internationally recognized government denounced sponsoring such myths, warning that it threatens children's future. It warned that such claims undermine the safety of Yemenis and the lives and future of their children.

The International President of Doctors without Borders, Christos Christou, confirmed that Yemen is witnessing a rise in the rates of preventable diseases.

During his visit to a hospital in Makha, Christou noted that patients needing care are having difficulty accessing services due to insecurity.

He noted an increase in preventable diseases, and a growing challenge for people in accessing health care.

The official pledged that these issues would be at the heart of his talks with the authorities in the country.

Christo warned that insecurity makes access difficult for patients needing care and humanitarian organizations, calling for the protection of medical facilities, ambulances, healthcare workers, patients, and their caregivers.

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Long Waits for Canadian Visas Leave Gazans in Limbo

Reem Alyazouri and her husband, Ashraf Alyazouri, who escaped Gaza and reached Toronto, pose for a photograph in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, September 30, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio
Reem Alyazouri and her husband, Ashraf Alyazouri, who escaped Gaza and reached Toronto, pose for a photograph in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, September 30, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio
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Long Waits for Canadian Visas Leave Gazans in Limbo

Reem Alyazouri and her husband, Ashraf Alyazouri, who escaped Gaza and reached Toronto, pose for a photograph in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, September 30, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio
Reem Alyazouri and her husband, Ashraf Alyazouri, who escaped Gaza and reached Toronto, pose for a photograph in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, September 30, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio

Reem Alyazouri's escape from a bombarded Gaza City through Egypt ended in Toronto on Sept. 4.
But as she and her family wrestle with applications for work permits and health insurance, her mother and father remain stuck in Cairo waiting for Canadian visas after fleeing Israel's war in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza seven months ago, Reuters said.
"My mind is busy with my parents," she said. "I feel guilty, believe me. When I came here and I left them behind they told us, 'Go and start your life. ... Don't worry about us.'"
The family is trying to come to Canada through a temporary residence program for Gazans with relatives here. Alyazouri's brother Hani Abushomar, a Canadian citizen, applied for six of his family members to join him in Canada hours after the program was launched in January.
Nine months and a harrowing exit from Gaza later, his mother and father remain stranded in Cairo. They completed the last major step of the visa application process - submitting biometric information - six months ago.
They are among thousands of Palestinians waiting for visas from Canada, a country that prides itself on welcoming people from around the world.
Canada said in May it would bring in up to 5,000 Gazans - expanding on a pledge in December to take in 1,000 from the Palestinian enclave. Months later, just over 300 have arrived, with 698 applications approved out of over 4,200 submitted.
Reuters spoke with multiple applicants who said they have been waiting for months since submitting biometric information, dashing their hopes of a swift reunion with relatives in Canada.
Canada has made no promises on how long it would take to process visas for Gazans fleeing the conflict and says it has little control over who is able to leave the enclave.
A cross-border attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 last year, in which Israel says 1,200 people were killed and over 250 taken hostage, ignited the war that has flattened most of Gaza, displacing most of its 2.3 million people and killing more than 41,800 people, according to Gaza health authorities.
Canada's focus "is on keeping families together and bringing them to safety as quickly as possible," immigration department spokesperson Julie Lafortune wrote in an email. The primary barrier is getting out of Gaza, she added.
Application processing times vary "based on the details and complexity of each file, and many factors are outside of the IRCC's control," Lafortune said, referring to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada department.
The immigration department would not say how many applicants have submitted biometric information and are waiting in Egypt.
BARRIERS TO ENTRY
Immigration lawyers say the wait for Gazans is longer than those faced by other groups fleeing conflict or disaster, and that the small numbers approved contrast with hundreds of thousands of visas granted to Ukrainians under a similar program offering temporary status.
One Canadian immigration expert said some of the visa requirements for Gazans - such as having to provide employment information dating back to when they were 16 - are unusual.
"Canada has a lot of experience in designing temporary, ad hoc programs and this one has an inordinate amount of barriers and hurdles for people to meet," said University of Ottawa law professor Jamie Chai Yun Liew, who focuses on immigration.
Liew said the Gaza program is moving slower than other Canadian temporary immigration programs, including those for Ukranians and survivors of the 2023 earthquake in Syria and Türkiye.
As of April, Canada had approved nearly 963,000 applications under the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel since March 2022. So far nearly 300,000 people have arrived in Canada under that program.
Australia has granted about 3,000 visitor visas to people from Gaza since October 2023 and about 1,300 have arrived in the country, said Graham Thom, advocacy coordinator with the Refugee Council of Australia, a research and advocacy group.
'EVERYTHING IS UNCERTAIN'
Gazans who have managed to get to Egypt live in limbo, surviving off savings or donations, without access to government services, said immigration lawyer Debbie Rachlis, adding she represents dozens in that position. Many are survivors of trauma.
They beat the odds just by getting that far, and for most, the escape came at great personal risk. The Gaza City neighborhood where Alyazouri and Abushomar's family lived has been "erased," he said. They were forced to flee from their home multiple times. Alyazouri's daughter was injured.
"Something in my heart is broken," Alyazouri said.
The Canadian government said it continues to put forward the names of applicants to local Israeli officials, "but does not ultimately decide who can exit Gaza."
"Israel has agreed to Canada's request for the exit of extended family members in Gaza as part of their expanding humanitarian efforts. However, at present, the Rafah border crossing is closed,” Lafortune wrote, referring to the main entry point between Gaza and Egypt.
Abushomar has been waiting with his mother and father for visas in Egypt, where people in their position lack papers to work, access health care or open a bank account. He says he will eventually have to return to Canada to work and worries for his parents, especially his mother, who has dementia and joint problems.
For now, Abushomar says, "Everything is uncertain."