WHO provides aid to fight child malnutrition in Yemen

SANAA, Yemen (AA) – The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday announced the start of providing aid and medical intervention to around 18,000 Yemeni children suffering illnesses and malnutrition.

In a statement, WHO said the aid intervention, which is carried out in eight hospitals over a period of nine months, is implemented with support of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center.

“WHO will support the pediatric units of these hospitals with essential medicines and equipment, training of health workers, and 192 PED/SAM kits for treating childhood illnesses, including severe acute malnutrition with medical complications,” it said.

In February, the UN said around 50% of Yemeni children under five are facing the danger of acute malnutrition and half a million children under five are facing the risk of starvation.

“This is a life-saving intervention for thousands of children, to strengthen nutrition into child health,” said WHO representative in Yemen, Adham Rashad Abdel-Moneim.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition, which seeks to reinstate the Yemeni government, has worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises. Nearly 80%, or about 30 million people, are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection, and more than 13 million in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.