Yemen declares state of emergency over cholera outbreak

In Yemen, a state of emergency has been declared in the capital, Sanaa, due to a deadly outbreak of cholera. The International Committee of the Red Cross has stated that the disease killed at least 115 people and left more than 8,000 others infected across the country between April 27 and May 13. 

According to the World Health Organization, Sanaa has been worst hit, but last week more than 2,000 suspected cases of the disease were reported in 10 governorates. The country's health ministry said in a statement



that the outbreak had worsened to the scale that is beyond the capacity of the department. 

The influx of patients is too much for the less than a half of existing health facilities that are still functioning in the war-torn country. The ministry has launched an appeal for help from international humanitarian organizations to deal with the crisis. 

The World Health Organization now classifies Yemen as one of the worst humanitarian emergencies in the world.