Weakened by War and Floods, Yemen Fights Twin Health Threat

“The War and climate change have created a humanitarian crisis.” This is what Abdulla Bin Ghouth, an epidemiologist from Yemen’s Hadhramout University College of Medicine says as Yemen announces an official tally of 72 cases of the novel coronavirus and 13 deaths, but health experts say the real numbers are likely much higher due to serious under-counting in the north and south of the country and lack of testing and tracking in the Arabina Peninsula. Life appears to be continuing as normal though, as people gather in crowded spaces, don’t social distance or take any protective measures despite government warnings. Yemen has been crippled by years of war and severe food shortages and now a wave of diseases linked to heavy rains are on the rise, straining an already shattered healthcare system, which health experts warn will be pushed to the brink of collapse with the coronavirus pandemic. Doctors are dealing with a rise in mosquito-borne diseases following rains and flash floods that began in January and brought with it a sharp spike in dengue and other viral fever cases, now disrupting the fight against the novel coronavirus. Where doctors usually saw three cases a day, in the past month alone, they have seen hundreds of patients with dengue and viral fevers and dozens of deaths. One hospital noted 6,000 cases of fever in only two months. Now also dealing with a shortage of testing kits and medical equipment, doctors are finding it impossible to diagnose whether patients are infected with COVID-19 or something else. (Reuters)

Analysis

As of today, Yemen has 85 positive COVID-19 cases. Since 2015, Yemen has suffered three Cholera outbreaks, a water-borne illness, where water has become weaponized in the civil war. Laws regulating water use are lacking, while climate stresses like extreme heat and drought have worsened social and health problems. Climate security experts count Yemen among countries that are at risk for increased conflict borne by climate change-fueled drought and water scarcity, made worse because the growing humanitarian needs strain the state’s ability to deal with the climate risks.