Yemen cholera milestone

The number of cases of cholera in Yemen reached more than one million in December 2017, with at least 2,200 people dying of the disease since the first case was reported in April 2017.

Easily treated with antibiotics, cholera is a bacterial disease that causes watery vomiting and diarrhea and can cause fatal dehydration. It is contracted from drinking contaminated water.

Yemen is currently embroiled in a civil war and is under a blockade enacted by a coalition of Arabian Peninsula states led by Saudi Arabia. The blockade is preventing needed medical supplies and food from reaching the country. The UN estimates that more than 20 million people in Yemen are in need of some form of humanitarian aid.