A new UN report has revealed that one child dies every 13 minutes in Yemen due to diseases that can be treated or prevented by vaccines.
In a report released recently, UNICEF announced that 41,000 children died in Yemen in 2022 due to diseases that could have been prevented.
“Many children in Yemen lose their lives due to diseases that can be treated or prevented. Imagine, every 13 minutes, a family is devastated by the loss of a child”, the UN health agency said in its report.
As of previous year, the organization reported that there were over 62,000 cases of diseases such as whooping cough, diphtheria, measles, and polio, with hundreds of deaths. These diseases would not have spread if vaccination coverage had been stronger.
The significant decrease in vaccination rates is concerning, with vaccination rates against measles, polio, and the DTP vaccine (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) at only 41%, 46%, and 55% respectively, the report said, warning that these numbers are far from the required level to ensure herd immunity and protect children’s health.
UNICEF stressed that the health situation of children in Yemen requires intensified efforts to improve it, and to change the tragic story to ensure that every child in Yemen receives vaccines wherever they are, requiring support for the healthcare system and providing necessary resources to reach remote areas.
