Cholera in Yemen since 2016

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Graphical representation of the diseases per 10,000 inhabitants in the individual governorates of Yemen since April 24, 2017, as of April 30, 2019

In September 2016 it came to the outbreak of cholera in Yemen . It is historically and globally the most severe occurrence of this infectious disease . Two epidemic-like waves of cholera disease have since been documented for Yemen . Over 1.7 million suspected cases of the disease and 3400 deaths are recorded. The WHO sees cholera in Yemen as part of a pandemic that has been rampant since 1961 , the longest pandemic currently at all (as of May 2019).

course

As early as September 2016, cholera broke out due to the war as a result of the military intervention in Yemen since 2015 . During an initial epidemic or epidemic wave, over 25,000 suspected cases occurred. This wave ebbed until spring 2017, according to the WHO it lasted until April 23, 2017, again.

From April 24, 2017, there was a second, much more severe recurrence of the disease, which lasted in 2019. As of December 31, 2018, 1,391,329 suspected cases of cholera had been statistically recorded during the second epidemic. 2,741 deaths were counted by the WHO up to this date. Statistically, 493.95 of a total of 10,000 inhabitants across the country suffered from cholera ( incidence rate 493.95 / 10,000). The western parts of the country were particularly affected. The five most affected provinces were 'Amrān (1258.21 10,000 inhabitants), al-Mahwit (1087.47 10,000 inhabitants), Sanaa (781.53 10,000 inhabitants), Dhamar (704 of 10,000 inhabitants) and ad-Dali ' (652.50 out of 10,000 inhabitants). Most of the deaths occurred in the cities of Hajjah (472), Ibb (371), al-Hudaida (343) and Taizz (221).

Cumulatively, the first and second wave of illnesses were recorded in Yemen from October 2016 to April 30, 2019, 1,704,246 suspected cases of cholera and 3,438 confirmed deaths. The mortality was thus around 0.2 percent. Children under 5 years made up about 28 percent of the suspected cases.

Pathogen

Based on the bacteria - genome could be understood that the cholera pathogen ( Vibrio cholerae ) through East Africa from South Asia was introduced to Yemen. In 2012, the bacterial strain was responsible for a first outbreak in South Asia. According to a study published in the journal Nature in 2019, there were other smaller outbreaks in East Africa in 2013 and 2014. From there, the bacterium reached Yemen via the Red Sea . The cholera strain responsible for the epidemic is less resistant to antibiotics than others because four genes that are important for resistance have been lost. Thus, cholera can actually be treated well with appropriate antibiotics.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Cholera epidemic in Yemen is slowing down. In: Doctors newspaper . Springer Medizin Verlag , December 22, 2017, accessed on February 2, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Cholera: The Forgotten Pandemic. WHO , October 22, 2018, accessed February 1, 2019 .
  3. ↑ a b Origin of cholera in Yemen clarified. In: Deutsches Ärzteblatt . German Medical Association , January 3, 2019, accessed on January 31, 2019 .
  4. ↑ CHOLERA SITUATION IN YEMEN. April 2019. WHO , accessed May 16, 2019 .