Concerns over the spread of malaria during the rainy season are mounting in Yemen, where the healthcare system is already struggling after years of conflict, leaving millions of people facing growing difficulties accessing medical care and basic medicine.
As the rainy season arrives, mosquitoes that transmit the disease move more quickly, forcing doctors to race against time to provide care in an overwhelmed healthcare system.
"I was brought from a distant area to the hospital, where the doctors provided me with the necessary care, and thank God, my condition has improved. Some medicines are available at the hospital, but others are not, so we have to buy them from outside pharmacies. The prices of these medicines are high for us, and we cannot afford them easily because of the difficult living conditions," said Ahmed Al-Haddad, a malaria patient.
Yemen is witnessing an alarming rise in malaria cases. According to the World Health Organization, about 24 million Yemenis -- nearly 64 percent of the population -- live in areas at high risk of malaria transmission.
"At Al-Jomhouri Hospital's emergency department, we receive many fever cases every day. Since the beginning of this year, we have been receiving many malaria cases. Malaria is transmitted through mosquitoes, which carry the disease from an infected person to a healthy person. Therefore, prevention depends on avoiding mosquito bites. The danger of malaria is that it can lead to several serious complications, including cerebral malaria. It can also cause an enlarged spleen and several other problems in the body," said Osama Al-Manbari, a doctor at the emergency department of Al-Jomhouri Hospital.
Malaria outbreak worsens in Yemen as rainy season arrives
Malaria outbreak worsens in Yemen as rainy season arrives
Malaria outbreak worsens in Yemen as rainy season arrives
