Renewed fighting in Yemen strains health system and fuels disease risk

Since the resurgence of combat in southwest Yemen in early August, the health network has been pushed to its limits. About 60% of facilities remain fully operational, while nine hospitals near Taiz, Lahj and Hudaydah have been damaged or directly attacked. In response, the World Health Organization has deployed more than 20 mobile medical teams across priority governorates and delivered nearly 60 tonnes of supplies valued at $656,000 to 40 sites in ten governorates. Critical stockpiles in WHO’s Aden warehouse, including trauma kits and essential medicines, are already exhausted.

The conflict‑driven displacement has created overcrowded shelters with unsafe water, heightening the risk of outbreaks. About 7,800 suspected cholera cases and 22 deaths have been recorded this year, while dengue has claimed 37 lives and more than 22,000 measles cases have been identified. Nutritional surveys show that more than one in four screened children are acutely malnourished, with around 200 classified as severely acute. The suspension of obstetric and newborn care in two hospitals further endangers mothers and infants.

The renewed clashes have uprooted more than 180,000 people and resulted in more than 4,481 casualties, including 830 deaths, since 6 August. More than 3,600 Yemenis have crossed the Red Sea to Djibouti since 10 September, nearly half of them children, and WHO partners anticipate an additional 5,000‑10,000 arrivals in the coming weeks. This influx adds pressure to already overstretched health services, amplifying the need for maternal and child care, nutrition assistance, vaccination and mental‑health support across the region.