Between 1 January and 26 March 2019, MSF has admitted 7,938 suspected cholera cases to its health facilities in Amran, Hajjah, Ibb and Taiz governorates, 50% of them coming from Ibb governorate. Over this period, the number of cholera patients treated by MSF increased from 140 to 2,000 per week. Results of rapid diagnostic tests done in MSF projects show that, in the same period, the percentage of cholera-positive cases increased from 58% to 70%.
“MSF teams have opened a 50-bed cholera treatment centre in Khamer, have increased the bed capacity of the cholera treatment unit in Taiz, and have bolstered centres in Ibb and Kilo. The attack rate is particularly high in Huth, in Amran governorate, where MSF supports a health centre” says Hassan Boucenine, MSF head of mission in Yemen. “Strengthening water and sanitation activities is also a priority, as they are essential in the fight against cholera.”