Yemen cholera death toll rises to 923 in 6 weeks: WHO

SANAA,  -- The death toll from cholera in war-torn Yemen has increased to 923 since April 27, with the total suspected cases passing 124,000, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.

The death toll from cholera epidemic rose to 923 until late Monday, up from 789 reported on Thursday, which means that 134 Yemeni people have been killed by the spreading epidemic in the past four days, according to WHO data.

The number of suspected cholera cases has increased up to 124,002 reported from 20 out of 22 Yemeni governorates, up from 101,820 on Thursday, with an increase of 22,182, according to WHO.

Last week, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) expected suspected cases could hit 130,000 in two weeks, while in last month, WHO expected they could reach 300,000 in the next six months.

The outbreak has spread fast in 20 in just six weeks, since April 27.

Yemen is facing total collapse as the war continues. Two thirds of the population, around 19 million, need some humanitarian or protection aid. About 10.3 million people are close to famine and 14.5 million people lack access to safe drinking water and sanitation.

Less than 45% of the country's hospitals are operational at the moment but even those operational ones are coping with huge challenges, on top of which is the lack of medications, medical equipment and staffs.

The blockade on Yemen, part of a Saudi-led bombing campaign launched in March 2015, has deepened the crisis in the country which used to import most of its basic needs. And there is another problem: no much aid is given to address the crisis, especially cholera outbreak. (Xinhua)