Saudi Arabia rush in with $66 mn aid as Yemen struggles to tackle cholera outbreak

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia has planned to shell out millions of dollars to stem a serious outbreak of cholera in Yemen, the media reported.

On Friday, Riyadh announced a donation of $66 million to Unicef, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and their partners to fight the disease, reports CNN.

Cholera — an ailment caused by contaminated water and now exacerbated by delays in supplies reaching medical facilities — shows up in war zones; the number of cases are mounting by the day in Yemen.

Representational image. AFP

The disease, a ravaged health care system, a devastated infrastructure and a near famine are the results of the bloody civil war which began in March 2015.

As of Thursday, the toll increased to over 1,100 since the outbreak on 27 April.

The number of cases stand at 192,983, according to WHO senior medical consultant Xavier de Radigues.

The number could grow to 300,000 by September and later jump to 400,000, de Radigues said, CNN reported.

"Saudi Arabia is committed to working closely with our aid partners to effectively address the cholera and general humanitarian situation in Yemen," said Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, adviser at the royal court and general supervisor of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre.

"We will continue to work with our partners across a broad range of humanitarian and relief efforts for the people of Yemen."