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Friday, September 22, 2017, 11:36
WHO: Cholera death toll rises to 2,103 in war-torn Yemen
By Xinhua
Friday, September 22, 2017, 11:36 By Xinhua

Children are treated for suspected cholera infections at a hospital in Sanaa, Yemen, July 1, 2017. The World Health Organization said on Sept 21, 2017 the death toll of the cholera epidemic in war-torn Yemen has increased to 2,103 since it broke out in April. (HANI MOHAMMED / AP)

SANAA - The death toll of the cholera epidemic in war-torn Yemen has increased to 2,103 since it broke out in April, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday.

The suspected cases have risen up to 704,544, WHO said on its official Twitter account.

The cases were reported from 22 provinces out of 23, it added.

Most of the suspected cases were reported from the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, while most of the deaths were reported from the northwestern province of Hajjah.

On Sept 6, the death toll reached 2,048, while the suspected cases reached 612,009 people, more than half of them children, according to WHO.

ALSO READ: Over 1m malnourished children in Yemen 'at risk of cholera'

The war in Yemen, which has lasted more than two years and a half, has destroyed the bulk of the country's water and sanitation systems, with more than half of Yemen's health facilities out of service, and about 15 million people gaining no access to safe water and basic healthcare.  

The war has also pushed the country into the brink of famine, with an estimated 385,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, thus putting them at heightened risk of acute watery diarrhea and cholera, according to the UN agencies.  

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