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Yemen’s Cholera Epidemic Is a One Health Issue

Yemen has been faced with the worst cholera epidemic of modern times, with more than 1 million suspected cases and 3000 deaths at the time of writing. This problem is largely due to the longstanding civil war between pro-government forces and the Houthi armed movement, which has severely damaged alr...

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Autores principales: Ng, Qin Xiang, De Deyn, Michelle Lee Zhi Qing, Loke, Wayren, Yeo, Wee Song
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Korean Society for Preventive Medicine 2020
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7411249/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32752599
http://dx.doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.20.154
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author Ng, Qin Xiang
De Deyn, Michelle Lee Zhi Qing
Loke, Wayren
Yeo, Wee Song
author_facet Ng, Qin Xiang
De Deyn, Michelle Lee Zhi Qing
Loke, Wayren
Yeo, Wee Song
author_sort Ng, Qin Xiang
collection PubMed
description Yemen has been faced with the worst cholera epidemic of modern times, with more than 1 million suspected cases and 3000 deaths at the time of writing. This problem is largely due to the longstanding civil war between pro-government forces and the Houthi armed movement, which has severely damaged already vulnerable sanitation and healthcare facilities and systems in the country. It is further compounded by a dire lack of basic amenities, chronic malnutrition, and unfavourable weather conditions. Another contributory component may be aerial transfer by cholera-infected chironomid insects. To contain the spread of cholera in Yemen, a nation-wide armistice should be negotiated, and national and local committees must be convened to coordinate efforts on the ground. Community isolation facilities with proper sanitation, reliable disposal systems, and a clean water supply should be set up to isolate and treat sick patients. The continuity of vaccination programmes should be ensured. Public health campaigns to educate local communities about good hygiene practices and nutrition are also necessary. The One Health paradigm emphasizes a multi-sectoral and transdisciplinary understanding and approach to prevent and mitigate the threat of communicable diseases. This paradigm is highly applicable to the ongoing cholera crisis in Yemen, as it demands a holistic and whole-of-society approach at the local, regional, and national levels. The key stakeholders and warring parties in Yemen must work towards a lasting ceasefire during these trying times, especially given the extra burden from the mounting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak worldwide.
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spelling pubmed-74112492020-08-13 Yemen’s Cholera Epidemic Is a One Health Issue Ng, Qin Xiang De Deyn, Michelle Lee Zhi Qing Loke, Wayren Yeo, Wee Song J Prev Med Public Health Perspective Yemen has been faced with the worst cholera epidemic of modern times, with more than 1 million suspected cases and 3000 deaths at the time of writing. This problem is largely due to the longstanding civil war between pro-government forces and the Houthi armed movement, which has severely damaged already vulnerable sanitation and healthcare facilities and systems in the country. It is further compounded by a dire lack of basic amenities, chronic malnutrition, and unfavourable weather conditions. Another contributory component may be aerial transfer by cholera-infected chironomid insects. To contain the spread of cholera in Yemen, a nation-wide armistice should be negotiated, and national and local committees must be convened to coordinate efforts on the ground. Community isolation facilities with proper sanitation, reliable disposal systems, and a clean water supply should be set up to isolate and treat sick patients. The continuity of vaccination programmes should be ensured. Public health campaigns to educate local communities about good hygiene practices and nutrition are also necessary. The One Health paradigm emphasizes a multi-sectoral and transdisciplinary understanding and approach to prevent and mitigate the threat of communicable diseases. This paradigm is highly applicable to the ongoing cholera crisis in Yemen, as it demands a holistic and whole-of-society approach at the local, regional, and national levels. The key stakeholders and warring parties in Yemen must work towards a lasting ceasefire during these trying times, especially given the extra burden from the mounting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak worldwide. Korean Society for Preventive Medicine 2020-07 2020-06-10 /pmc/articles/PMC7411249/ /pubmed/32752599 http://dx.doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.20.154 Text en Copyright © 2020 The Korean Society for Preventive Medicine This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
spellingShingle Perspective
Ng, Qin Xiang
De Deyn, Michelle Lee Zhi Qing
Loke, Wayren
Yeo, Wee Song
Yemen’s Cholera Epidemic Is a One Health Issue
title Yemen’s Cholera Epidemic Is a One Health Issue
title_full Yemen’s Cholera Epidemic Is a One Health Issue
title_fullStr Yemen’s Cholera Epidemic Is a One Health Issue
title_full_unstemmed Yemen’s Cholera Epidemic Is a One Health Issue
title_short Yemen’s Cholera Epidemic Is a One Health Issue
title_sort yemen’s cholera epidemic is a one health issue
topic Perspective
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7411249/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32752599
http://dx.doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.20.154
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