Emergence of Cholera Cases Among Africans in Yemen Spreads Fears of An Outbreak
(AWP) - Yemeni doctors have warned of the spread of cholera after discovering scores of infected among immigrants from the Horn of Africa in a hospital in Aden.
Al-Sadaqa hospital manager Ragaa Mossad said that the infected are currently receiving treatment in an isolation tent at the hospital’s yard, in an attempt to avoid the spread of the disease.
"Cases appeared amongst Oromo Africans immigrating illegally to Yemen," she said.
"Last Thursday, cases appeared amongst Oromo Africans immigrating illegally to Yemen. The cases were discovered in the emergency department, and it was found that there were seven cases of watery diarrhoea. Tests were performed to confirm the nature of the disease. On the second day, we discovered eight more cases, bringing the number of cases to 29 amongst affected Oromo Africans, and an isolation camp was set up for them,” she added.
Head of the Yemeni Health Ministry’s Directorate of Disease Control and Surveillance, Mohammed Awad, expressed the need for cooperation among Yemeni ministries to contain the spread of cholera.
"The number of cases has reached 37, including four previous cases that were about ten days or a week old, involving Yemeni citizens. The rest of the cases were among African immigrants coming from the Horn of Africa,” he said.
“We are making every effort at the Ministry of Health, and we need the combined cooperative efforts of other ministries, such as the Ministries of Interior, Education, and Endowments, as well as local organizations that are active in cholera prevention,” he added.