Health
Houthi blockade of Taiz drives food shortages, price spikes and disease risk
A tightened Houthi siege around Yemen’s third‑largest city has cut wheat, flour and fuel supplies, pushed food prices up about 50 percent and coincided with a sharp rise in cholera and measles as displacement swells.
Escalating siege cuts food and fuel supplies
At the beginning of October the Houthis seized the final road that linked Taiz with government‑controlled territories, tightening a blockade that has been in place since 2015. The loss of this corridor has left wheat and flour stocks dangerously low, with UN estimates that the remaining reserves could disappear in less than three weeks. Cooking gas is now scarce, petrol prices have tripled and overall food costs have risen about 50 percent. The fuel shortage also threatens water distribution systems and the operation of health facilities.
Outbreaks surge amid displacement
The collapse of supply lines comes as Yemen grapples with a growing health crisis. This year the country has recorded 8,034 suspected cholera cases and 27 deaths, with a quarter of those infections reported in the last four weeks. Since August, roughly 200,000 people have been forced to leave their homes, many ending up in overcrowded shelters that lack safe water. Measles has re‑emerged, with more than 22,800 suspected cases and 128 deaths, while vaccination coverage remains critically low at an estimated 45 percent for each of the two recommended doses.
Critical funding shortfall hampers health response
Health facilities across nine governorates are under severe strain, with about 500 centres operating without partner support. The World Health Organization’s 90‑day emergency plan for Yemen calls for $31 million, but only $4.3 million—less than 14 percent of the request—has been received. WHO officials warn that without rapid financing and unrestricted access to safe water, vaccination and essential medical services, disease outbreaks could spread quickly among already vulnerable populations.