Cholera death toll in Yemen rises to 676: WHO

By Mohammed al-Samei

SANAA (AA) – At least 676 people have died since a cholera epidemic broke out in war-torn Yemen in late April, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

In a Twitter post on Monday, WHO said more than 86,400 suspected cases of cholera had been registered in 19 Yemeni provinces.

International organizations -- including the WHO, UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross -- have recently stepped up the delivery of medical supplies to Yemen, where local health authorities are struggling to cope with the outbreak.

Yemen has fallen into civil war in 2014 after Houthi rebels overran capital Sanaa and other provinces.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a massive air campaign aimed at reversing Houthi gains and shoring up Yemen’s Saudi-backed government.

According to UN officials, more than 10,000 Yemenis have been killed in the conflict to date, while more than 11 percent of the country’s total population have been displaced from their homes.