Yemen risks ‘massive resurgence’ of cholera: Oxfam

KHOKHA, Yemen: Oxfam has warned that war-torn Yemen risks a "massive resurgence" of cholera, with around 195,000 suspected cases of the disease recorded so far this year.

"Fears that the world’s worst cholera outbreak could be set for a massive resurgence are growing," the relief organisation said on Thursday. It said aid agencies were struggling to reach suspected cases.

In a statement, Oxfam pointed to "fighting and restraints on access, including checkpoints and permit requirements imposed by the warring parties", and warned the coming rainy season was likely to accelerate the spread of the disease.

The water-borne bacterial infection has claimed more than 3,000 lives in Yemen since the outbreak began in 2016, according to Oxfam. At a medical centre for the displaced in the government-held western town of Khokha, Qassem Suleiman had brought his son Alaa for tests after a serious case of diarrhoea.

Doctor Wadah al-Tiri told AFP that several patients had been transferred to Aden while others had been treated at the Khokha centre. He said a tent was to be set up for suspected cases. The doctor said Yemen badly needed international aid to combat the epidemic. The UN’s humanitarian coordination office OCHA said last month that children under the age of five make up nearly a third of this year’s cases.