5 reasons why the State of Yemen is the most severely affected by Covid-19
Sunday, June 28, 2020
UPDATimes - Yemen's health facilities were destroyed in five years of non-stop war.
The corona virus can spread faster, more widely, and cause more deaths in Yemen than many other countries in the world, the United Nations (UN) said. Here are five reasons why Yemen won the title.
1. The war is still happening
Since 2015, Yemen has been devastated by conflicts that have left millions living without access to proper health care, clean water or sanitation - important elements in preventing and suppressing the spread of the corona virus.
Staple food and medical aid has been blocked from land, sea and air, by a coalition of countries led by Saudi Arabia in fighting Houthi rebels - when the rebels themselves also blocked the distribution of aid.
The absence of a central government that is responsible after the rebels drive the government out of the capital to the south of the country - makes the corona virus more difficult to control.
2. The worst humanitarian crisis in the world
Living conditions in Yemen place humans susceptible to disease. Three years before Covid-19 emerged, the UN declared Yemen as the poorest country in the world.
Around 24 million people there - that is, about 80% of the population - depend on aid to survive, and millions are on the verge of starvation.
It is estimated that two million children are severely malnourished, and the country has difficulty dealing with diseases such as dengue, malaria and cholera before the first case of the corona virus is reported.
A weak immune system causes those suffering from chronic diseases to easily contract Covid-19, and find it difficult to survive.
In some areas, traveling outside the home can be dangerous because of the effects of the war
3. The collapse of the Yemeni health system
The five years of continuous war destroyed the country's health system, making it unable to deal with a pandemic.
Of 3,500 Yemeni health facilities, many have been destroyed by air strikes, and only half are considered to be fully functional.
Health clinics in Yemen are reported to be overcrowded, medicines and basic health equipment are very short.
In a country of 27.5 million people, there are only a few hundred ventilators which are vital in helping the breathing of patients infected with the corona virus.
4. The number of cases of corona virus is unknown
Another reason is the lack of accurate data on who is suffering from the corona virus which makes it increasingly difficult to prevent spread in the midst of a fragile health system.
Since corona virus patients were first reported in government-controlled areas last April, the actual scale of the outbreak was impossible to measure.
The government announced there were more than 900 cases of the corona virus, while rebels who controlled the capital and other densely populated areas only detected four cases.
The UN predicts, when viewed from a limited number of virus testing instruments, lack of transparency of government and rebel data, the number of cases of corona virus that actually occurred is much higher than that delivered.
Medics in Yemen prepare for 'extremely bad' crisis
5. Medical personnel are vulnerable to exposure
Already lacking drugs, medical workers also do not have personal protective equipment or PPE such as masks, robes, gloves and others that serve to protect from disease.
An unconfirmed Al-Masdar news site reports that dozens of medics have died as a result of Covid-19 in areas controlled by both rebels and the government.
One of the most prominent infectious disease experts in Yemen, Yassin Abdul Wareth, died of Covid-19 earlier this month, and was described as a major blow to Yemen's health sector.
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