![]() ![]() ![]() Yemen is already experiencing the world's largest cholera outbreak in recent history. The conflict, which began in 2015, is crushing the country’s health care system and opening the door to infectious disease outbreaks. In Yemen, a brutal civil war has caused a devastating humanitarian crisis. Photo credit: Ephrem Woldebirhan/FHI 360 Taking steps to prevent a diphtheria outbreak in Yemen The Integrated Humanitarian Assistance to Yemen project supports USAID’s goal of a more resilient Yemen and builds on FHI 360’s work in 24 countries defined as fragile states. These facilities will also serve as cholera treatment centers should a third wave of cholera occur.Īn estimated 22.2 million people in Yemen - roughly 4 out of 5 Yemenis - are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, making it the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. Activities will increase access to primary health care, such as maternal and reproductive health services, and improve the nutritional status of the most vulnerable groups, including pregnant and lactating women and children under age five. These centers will serve as entry points for multisector, integrated services, offering not only health but also nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions. ![]() To respond to those needs, FHI 360 will support two health care facilities in Ta’izz - the Maternal and Child Health Center in Al Mukha and the Al Ghaded Health Center in Al Dhubab - as well as the Maternal and Child Health Center in Al Khokha. The new project will deliver targeted, integrated humanitarian interventions designed to meet the most pressing needs of both the host communities and internally displaced persons. These areas also continue to receive internally displaced persons from the northern and eastern front lines of the conflict. The ongoing hostilities and deterioration of Yemen’s health system have left these communities without access to essential services. The Integrated Humanitarian Assistance to Yemen project will reach affected populations in the Al Mukha and Al Dhubab districts in the Ta’izz governorate, as well as Al Khokha in the Al Hudaydah governorate. Foreign Disaster Assistance to provide humanitarian aid near the front lines of the conflict in Yemen. Agency of International Development (USAID) Office of U.S. Photo credit: Brent Stirton/Getty Images Scaling Up Integrated Humanitarian Assistance to Yemen (SUIHAY) IIįHI 360 has received a one-year award from the U.S. Cholera preparedness is the first step in ensuring early detection and timely treatment. The tool helps to determine if health facilities are equipped to respond effectively to a cholera outbreak. We also trained staff at the Al Mokha and Al Khawkhah health facilities to use a new cholera self-assessment tool, developed by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. While these facilities have not yet experienced an increased number of cholera cases, contingency planning is underway and would include the establishment of diarrhea treatment centers and oral rehydration points for the management of mild and moderate cases. Other important preventive measures include monitoring the quality of the water at each health center and providing chlorinated water when needed. We also improved the centers’ water and sanitation infrastructure by rehabilitating sinks, toilets and bathing facilities. ![]() Working closely with local health facility staff, we introduced new methods of waste water and solid waste disposal to the Al Ghaded Health Center and the Al Mokha and Al Khawkhah Maternal and Child Health Centers. To help address this acute need, FHI 360’s Integrated Humanitarian Assistance to Yemen project provides critical water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) support to three primary health care facilities in the west coast districts of Dhubab, Al Mokha and Al Khawkhah, where the incidence of cholera is high. With the rainy season approaching, there is growing urgency to prevent the spread of this highly contagious disease. Children younger than five comprise nearly one-third of the cases, with more than 1,000 a day being infected in the last few weeks alone. In Yemen, more than 164,000 suspected cases of cholera were reported during the first three months of 2019. ![]()
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