Munira Al Mahdi, the media official for the World Health Organization in Yemen, said that the spread of the new Corona virus in the country will lead to catastrophic effects, and it is possible to infect 16 million Yemenis (50% of the population), under conditions of war and the fragility of the health system, which is currently operating at 50% of its capacity the Actual.
On Friday, the Yemeni Ministry of Health announced that 12 new cases of the virus had been registered, bringing the number of confirmed cases to 205, including 33 deaths and 6 recovery cases. It called on the Yemeni government to send international experts to diagnose the epidemics prevalent in the country, and to support health teams.
On Thursday, Al-Jazeera Net published an investigation revealing the reality of the spread of the epidemic in the country, and the results of the correspondents team in the major Yemeni cities showed that there are injuries and deaths far exceeding what the Yemeni government and Houthi announced.
According to Munira Al Mahdi’s statements to Al Jazeera Net, since the outbreak was announced in Yemen, the World Health Organization has presented several evidence-based scenarios to ensure that local authorities have the full picture of the impact of this virus on Yemenis.
The UN official stated that the severity of the current suffering and health needs cannot be met by the population; It may cause horrific damage, especially since 19.7 million people (out of a total population of about thirty million) need health care services, 14 million are in urgent need of these services, and two thirds of the directorates (203 out of 333 districts) are among the areas most in need of health services Because of the poor accessibility to services nationwide.
A fragile health sector,
Munira Al Mahdi said that 50% of health facilities in Yemen were affected by the war that has been going on for more than five years, which has led to a decline in operational capabilities.
The crisis is compounded by nearly 15.9 million people suffering from acute food insecurity, despite existing humanitarian assistance.
According to the World Health Organization official's statement, malnutrition contributes to lowered immunity levels and makes the population more vulnerable to acute communicable diseases, with a greater risk of death; Evidence globally indicates that people with diabetes, hypertension and weak immunity have the highest rates of coronavirus infection.
The Mahdi stated that the inability to respond adequately in Yemen could lead to the death of millions of people due to the complications of these diseases, such as cholera, measles, dengue fever, diphtheria and non-communicable diseases.
She pointed out that the statistics indicate that doctors are present only in 18% of the directorates in Yemen, in which most health sector employees have not received their salaries during the past two years, in addition to the shortage of nurses, and the inability of midwives with weak medical education to fill the deficit in the human resources of the sector Healthy.
Munira Al Mahdi said that the medical assistance teams lack training in the field of case management, prevention and control of infection and the use of personal protective equipment in the scope of the emerging corona virus.
The role of the health organization
The UN official explains that the role of the World Health Organization and the United Nations in Yemen is to provide life-saving advice, health messages and medical assistance, and to advise on the announcement and reporting of cases.
With regard to obfuscating injury cases, especially in Houthi-controlled areas; Al-Mahdi said that the organization played its role systematically for weeks, and that the decision to announce the cases rests with the competent authorities in accordance with the international health regulations.
"We adhere to the provisions of the International Health Regulations (Article VI): announcing any potential threat to global health security and its management, including disease, is the responsibility of national authorities, and our role as the United Nations is to support and serve the people of Yemen with the best of our Capabilities at this difficult time, as we work alongside health authorities to provide the ability to test, track, and isolate. "
WHO and its partners continue to support health agencies in Yemen, given the limited resources available, assuming that the epidemic is already spreading at the community level throughout the country, and additional resources are being mobilized, in the context of the severe global shortage of supplies and essential equipment needed to respond to Covid-19 disease. , Caused by the Corona virus, according to the UN official.
Response plan
The health response plan for WHO in Yemen is represented in eight axes, as explained by the UN official for Al-Jazeera Net, including coordination, planning and follow-up to ensure the sharing of information in a timely manner between health sectors, as well as preparing 26 emergency centers to serve as the backbone of the response to the outbreak of the epidemic.
Munira Al Mahdi said that there are already ten centers in southern Yemen, in addition to 13 other centers in the northern governorates, and there are two operations rooms at the central level in Sana'a and Aden, and other rooms will open in Taiz Governorate, and four hotlines have been established in Sana'a and Aden to receive all communications Related to the epidemic.
Among the efforts of the response plan, the UN official said that educational materials are being developed and distributed and distributed to facilities and entry points, as well as preparing 333 rapid response teams from 1665 individuals in all directorates.
The organization also contributes to ensuring the readiness of entry points to the country and obtaining the necessary resources to support the steps of isolation and isolation, in order to contribute to preventing the entry of foreign cases, by raising the level of awareness among travelers. 82% of the entry points are now capable of testing with the support of the organization, in addition to the support of national laboratories.
The organization also strengthened the capacity of health authorities to equip five central public health laboratories in the cities of Sana'a, Aden, Sayun, Taiz, and Al-Mukalla, and these laboratories have the full capacity to detect Covid-19 disease. Similar capabilities will be available in four other public health laboratories soon.
Al-Mahdi said that among the most prominent steps taken by the organization so far are the training of 28 laboratory specialists, the provision of 520 beds for intensive care units and 194 artificial respirators, the provision of 11,717 oxygen cylinders, to be refilled monthly throughout the country, and to train 672 medical staff in ways Infection control, prevention, control and case management.