WHO delivers urgently needed health supplies to Aden as part of UN convoy

13 July 2015, Sana'a, Yemen: The World Health Organization has delivered urgently needed health supplies to Aden governorate, where the humanitarian and health situation has critically deteriorated as a result of insecurity and restricted access.

The life-saving health supplies, which were delivered in six trucks as part of a United Nations convoy, contained 46.4 tonnes of medicines, medical supplies, and water and sanitation supplies for more than 84 000 beneficiaries in 8 districts of Aden governorate.

The shipment included first aid kits, medicines and supplies for trauma care, and kits for the treatment of diarrhoea. Following a surge in the number of suspected cases of malaria and dengue fever since the start of the crisis, most significantly in Aden, WHO also conducted rapid testing for dengue fever and malaria and provided support to Alwahda Hospital in Aden to resume functionality of its fever/dengue ward and trauma management centre.

National health professionals were trained by WHO experts on epidemiological field investigations and early warning system surveillance. As part of malaria preparedness activities, which had been delayed by the crisis, bed nets were distributed to more than 9000 households in four districts and residual spray materials and equipment were distributed in the 8 districts. Staff were also trained to begin house-to-house spraying.

Access to health care in Aden is extremely limited due to constant fighting, and most of the governorate's 31 health facilities are non-functional due to critical shortages in medical supplies and fuel needed for generators.

"The humanitarian and health situation in Yemen continues to deteriorate, but the health situation is especially critical in Aden, with many people no longer having direct access to food, fuel, medical care and safe drinking-water," said Dr Ahmed Shadoul, WHO representative in Yemen.

To date, WHO has distributed a total of more than 175 tonnes of medicines and medical supplies and more than 500 000 litres of fuel to maintain the functionality of main hospitals, vaccine stores, ambulances, national laboratories, kidney and oncology centres, and health centres in 13 governorates, reaching a total of almost 5 million people, including 700 000 internally displaced persons and 140 000 children under the age of 5.