Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
The World Health Organization has reported a sharp rise in cholera cases across Yemen this year, with 237 deaths and more than 87,000 infections recorded between January and October 2025. The figures highlight a worsening public health crisis in a country where conflict, poverty and the collapse of essential services continue to undermine disease control efforts.
According to a WHO report released on Wednesday, Yemen registered 87,566 new cases of cholera and acute watery diarrhea during the first ten months of the year. The death toll places Yemen as the country with the third-highest number of cholera-related fatalities globally in 2025, surpassed only by South Sudan and Afghanistan. The data, reviewed by Reuters, underscores how persistent instability and frail healthcare systems have left Yemen acutely vulnerable to outbreaks of preventable diseases.
The current surge follows a deadly year in 2024, during which cholera claimed 879 lives out of more than 260,000 reported infections, according to the WHO’s January update. Despite international humanitarian interventions, Yemen’s health infrastructure has struggled to recover from years of conflict, leaving hospitals under-resourced, water and sanitation networks damaged, and medical supplies in chronic shortage.
Public health experts warn that the ongoing political and military conflict, now entering its second decade—continues to play a central role in fueling the spread of infectious diseases. Damage to sanitation systems, limited access to clean water, and mass displacement of civilians have all contributed to conditions in which cholera can spread rapidly.
Humanitarian organizations are urging for increased funding and immediate support to strengthen surveillance, improve water purification systems, and ensure the steady delivery of essential medicines. However, persistent insecurity and restricted access to several regions remain significant obstacles.
As Yemen faces one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, the rise in cholera cases serves as a stark reminder that without durable political solutions and major investments in public health infrastructure, preventable diseases will continue to claim thousands of lives.
