CAIRO, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Arab League (AL) Secretary General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit reiterated on Wednesday his increasing concern over the deterioration of humanitarian conditions in Yemen due to cholera outbreak in many governorates.
Cholera in Yemen, which is also suffering famine, has so far infected 313,538 people and killed 1,732, according to the latest figures from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
In his statement, Aboul-Gheit urged the international community and relief organizations to continue work in order to avoid a serious humanitarian catastrophe in the conflict-torn Arab country.
In the same regard, the AL chief commended the efforts exerted by all countries and organizations concerned in their attempts to control the disease, particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Since April 27, the cholera cases in Yemen have been "increasing at an average of 5,000 a day," the UN World Health Organization said in its latest weekly report.
"We are now facing the worst cholera outbreak in the world," it said.
More than three years into the war, Yemen is on the brink of a total collapse, where two thirds of the total population, around 19 million, need humanitarian aid. About 10.3 million are at risk of famine and 14.5 million lack access to safe drinking water.
Fewer than 45 percent of Yemen's hospitals are operational, but even the operational ones are coping with huge challenges, especially the lack of medications, medical equipment and staff.
