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STORY: GENEVA / YEMEN CHOLERA
TRT: 2:27
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATTS
DATELINE: 22 DECEMBER 2017 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, exterior, Palais des Nations
2. Wide shot, press briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Tarik Jasarevic, Spokesperson for the World Health Organisation (WHO):
”Today the number of suspected Cholera cases in Yemen since late April 2017 just passed the number of one million: the precise number is 1.001,428 suspected cholera cases and 2,227 associated deaths”.
4. Wide shot, journalists
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Tarik Jasarevic, Spokesperson for the World Health Organisation (WHO):
”However, the epidemic is still not over and more efforts have to be made and deployed to ensure that control in the immediate term and the prevention of future outbreaks are done”.
6. Close up, journalist
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Tarik Jasarevic, Spokesperson for the World Health Organisation (WHO):
”Since the beginning of the cholera outbreak we have saved tens of thousands of lives by establishing treatment centres, delivering supplies, distributing public health guidance, training health workers, and working with communities on prevention”.
8. Close up, journalist
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Tarik Jasarevic, Spokesperson for the World Health Organisation (WHO):
”There is, as you know, a Diphtheria outbreak going on in several parts of the country, but mostly in Ibb and Hodeida governorates. Although 18 out of 22 governorates have reported cases. So far 333 clinically diagnosed cases have been reported, and again mostly in Ibb and Hodeida governorates”.
10. Med shot, journalist
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Tarik Jasarevic, Spokesperson for the World Health Organisation (WHO):
“Yesterday UNICEF delivered nearly 6 million doses of essential vaccines to protect millions of children at risk of preventable diseases, including the current diphtheria outbreak. WHO, UNICEF and Ministry and National Health Authorities are discussing a vaccination campaign that would target all districts that have reported cases in the past month”.
12. Med shot, journalists
13.SOUNDBITE (English) Tarik Jasarevic, Spokesperson for the World Health Organisation (WHO): ”Recent clashes have severely impacted WHO operations and compounded the already critical health situation in Sana’a. Our staff cannot travel to affected governorates or to government buildings due to security concerns”.
14. Close up, journalist
15. Close up, journalist
16. Med shot, journalists
The number of suspected cases of Cholera in war-torn Yemen has now passed the one million mark, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said today at the United Nations in Geneva.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, WHO’s spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said that ”the number of suspected Cholera cases in Yemen since late April 2017 just passed the number of one million: the precise number is 1.001,428 suspected cholera cases and 2,227 associated deaths”.
The weekly average of cases has decreased significantly over the last three months.
”However”, Jasarevic said, “the epidemic is still not over and more efforts have to be made and deployed to ensure that control in the immediate term and the prevention of future outbreaks are done”.
WHO still supports dehydration treatment centres all over the country, and continues to collect the stool samples for lab testing, transporting samples to lab as well as continued surveillance and treatment.
Jasarevic said that ”since the beginning of the cholera outbreak we have saved tens of thousands of lives by establishing treatment centres, delivering supplies, distributing public health guidance, training health workers, and working with communities on prevention”.
WHO said that in Yemen, 99,7 % of people who become sick with suspected cholera and who are able to access health services are surviving.
Jasarevic said that since October this year, Yemen has also experienced a rapidly spreading diphtheria outbreak mostly in Ibb and Hodeida.
He added “18 out of 22 governorates have reported cases. So far 333 clinically diagnosed cases have been reported, and again mostly in Ibb and Hodeida governorates”.
WHO and partners are working with Yemeni Health Authorities to contain the outbreak.
Jasarevic informed that “yesterday UNICEF delivered nearly 6 million doses of essential vaccines to protect millions of children at risk of preventable diseases, including the current diphtheria outbreak. WHO, UNICEF and Ministry and National Health Authorities are discussing a vaccination campaign that would target all districts that have reported cases in the past month”.
Last month, WHO, UNICEF and partners vaccinated 8,500 children under five years in al-Saddah and Yarim districts in Ibb governorate, where the majority of cases were reported.
These outbreaks are occurring in a complex emergency setting characterised by ongoing conflict, deteriorating security and a disrupted health system.
WHO calls for unhindered and sustained access to all areas of Yemen to stop “these unconscionable deaths from malnutrition, cholera, and now diphtheria”.
WHO spokesperson said “the recent blockade of air and sea ports has seriously impacted WHO’s operations and limited our ability to re-stock supplies.”
He added that ”recent clashes have severely impacted WHO operations and compounded the already critical health situation in Sana’a. Our staff cannot travel to affected governorates or to government buildings due to security concerns”.
Yemen’s health system is on the verge of a collapse. More than half of all health facilities are closed or only partially functioning. 30,000 critical health workers have not been paid regular salaries in more than a year, no doctors are left in nearly 20 % of Yemen’s districts.
