SANAA, Apr.27 (Saba) - Cholera epidemic is the hidden killer that swept the Yemeni provinces very quickly, it did not have mercy on the children or old neither man nor woman.

Cholera isn’t new to Yemen, like many countries in the Middle East and South Asia, cholera has historically been endemic in Yemen. It is currently facing the largest documented cholera epidemic in modern times.

This kind out outbreak is new, though. Infectious disease modeling techniques estimate that until 2016, Yemen had approximately 17,546 cases of cholera per year, the Yemeni revolution began and 30,000 cases of cholera were reported, more than 13 million and 800,000 Yemenis are at risk, putting 8 million to 400,000 of them on the brink of cholera.

A study arrived at its analysis "the small first cholera epidemic wave in 2016 had a key role in seeding the bacteria across Yemen during the dry season. When the rains returned in April, 2017, they triggered widespread cholera transmission that led to the large second wave observed during the following months. This conclusion is further supported by our microbiological analyses, which suggest that the resurgence of the epidemic in 2017 is unlikely to have resulted from the introduction of a new Vibrio  Cholerae strain.

the rapid epidemiological invasion of cholera and the increase in the number of cholera to 162 thousand and 463 people from January to the beginning of April, 327 of them died and more than 1 million and 500 thousand of the epidemic since 2016 died of them more than 3000 people, according to recent statistics of the Ministry of Public Health and Population, Prompting intensified government and organizations efforts to curb the spread of the epidemic.

According to statistics of the Ministry of Health recorded during the period from 14/3/2019 to 27/4/2019"1,493,828 cases, and 2,919 deaths". Most deaths among older persons over 60 years are 53% and 15% are under-five mortality. 138 thousand cases of suspected cholera rate of more than 40 thousand cases per month and about 1,300 cases a day in different governorates of the Republic.

The Ministry of Public Health and Population recorded the first invasion of cholera since late September 2016 until February 2017, and the second began in late April 2017 and continued until the beginning of November of the same year, while the third pandemic appeared at the beginning of this year.

Role of government and international organizations: they open more than 600 camps in all provinces; close the canteens in all schools and some restaurants.

- prevent the entry of vegetables from some areas and governorates where vegetables are irrigated with wastewater.

- The emergency committee formed a technical committee that works to raise awareness among the community in ways to prevent cholera and focus on cleaning campaigns, where detergent was distributed and explained how to use it.

- Treatment of hospital waste in special units, incinerators and sewage cases, and some farmers diverting them to irrigation before they reach the treatment plants, in addition to increasing the efficiency of the centers.

- Sewage treatment and sterilization of reservoirs.

- An agricultural technical team of Plant Protection  the level of implementation of the campaign of spraying and field control of the carriers of the cholera epidemic, Where the team sprayed in the foci and marshes as well as the sewage treatment plant, which is concentrated in the presence of flies and insects carrying the epidemic ,and make them water suitable for irrigation of various agricultural crops.

- Now a group of volunteers are vaccinating the people in houses, works, and schools in three areas Wahda, Shoaup and Sebeyen in the capital Sanaa.

 Where cholera is known as an infectious disease that causes severe watery diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration and even death if untreated. It is caused by eating food or drinking water contaminated with a bacterium called Vibrio Cholera.

Symptoms of Cholera: Diarrhea, Nausea and vomiting, Dehydration, Irritability, lethargy, sunken eyes, a dry mouth, extreme thirst, dry and shriveled skin.

Some causes for cholera invasion: war, poor sanitation, crowding, poverty, famine, rainfall, displacement and economic collapse.

While the Cholera found: the cholera bacteria spread through contaminated food or water, in places with inadequate water treatment, poor sanitation, inadequate hygiene, refugee camps, crowded cities, anywhere people cluster together without a good way to dispose of human waste and the war made the Sana’a wastewater plant without power so untreated wastewater began to leak out into irrigation canals and drinking water supplies.

Treatment: Antibiotics and compensations of fluids in the body, medicine, vaccine and the important things are hygiene, lunch and liquids. In the cholera' camp the Patients take some of antibiotics and perfusion solutions.

Difficulties which face the camps: Lack of treatment centers, a lack of medicines, intravenous solutions, oral rehydration salts and other essential medical supplies, no water to wash these blankets, which is a carrier of the disease, also there is no running water in the bathroom and few numbers of bathrooms. Because of the poor most patients cannot afford to help themselves to go to the hospital or buy medication, also lack of medical laboratories.

Cholera epidemic is killed millions of Yemeni people but the government with helping with UNCEF and other International and local organizations offered everything they could to eradicate this deadly disease. 

Written by Amal Bahakim