Cholera has killed at least 115 people in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, the local Saba news agency said, after authorities on Sunday declared a state of emergency over the outbreak and called for international help to avert disaster. Sanaa is controlled by the armed Houthi movement, which is aligned with Iran. Houthis have deprived two-thirds of the population of access to safe drinking water and only a few medical facilities are functioning. Some 8,595 suspected cholera cases were recorded in Sanaa and other Yemeni provinces between April 27 and May 13, while laboratory confirmed cases were 213. The acute diarrheal disease, which can be fatal within hours if left untreated, has killed 115 people. The World Health Organization (WHO) earlier put the death toll at 51. It has also said that 7.6 million people in Yemen live in areas at high risk of cholera transmission. A cholera epidemic late last year petered out but outbreaks are becoming more frequent. Sanaa has been worst hit, followed by the surrounding province of Amanat Al-Semah, WHO data has shown. Cases have also been reported in other major cities including Hodeidah, Taiz and Aden. Some 17 million of Yemen's 26 million people lack sufficient food and at least three million malnourished children are in "grave peril", the UN has also said. – Reuters
