July 10 - July 16 : Cholera Continues to Wreak Havoc in Yemen

July 10

Yemen’s cholera cases have passed the 300,000 mark, according to the ICRC. Though the daily growth rate of the epidemic has halved, outbreaks in new areas have spread rapidly. Yemen’s economic collapse means over 30,000 healthcare workers remain unpaid, and the UN has stepped in with “incentive” payments as part of an emergency campaign.

Doctors Without Borders published an article detailing the conditions of a hospital in Abs as it attempts to deal with the cholera epidemic.

A UK high court ruled that arms sales to Saudi Arabia are lawful despite concerns from multiple human rights organizations.

July 11

Human Rights Watch wrote that the UK high court’s ruling on Saudi arms sales is disappointing, stating that the UK is profiting off the suffering of Yemeni civilians. It states also that the high court justified the decision incorrectly in some instances.

The WHO is canceling a cholera vaccine initiative in Yemen saying the program would be ineffective as the spread of the virus is too rapid.

July 12

Under President Trump’s current budget, aid for Yemen is set to decline by 82 percent.

The UN is redirecting some of its funds in Yemen away from combating food insecurity to addressing the cholera epidemic.

Yemeni police women used violence to break up a small woman’s rally in the southern port city of Aden, ABC reports.

More than 300,000 people have been infected with cholera in Yemen. At least 1,706 people across 22 provinces have been killed by the virus, according to the UN.

July 13

The United States doubled its refueling support for the Saudi coalition after a deadly strike on a funeral in Sana’a last October, which killed 130 mourners, according to the Intercept.

July 14

The WHO plans to focus their cholera intervention in Yemen on providing access to clean water and sanitation. This comes as the organization announced it was scrapping a plan to send cholera vaccines to Yemen. Cholera has spread to 91 percent of Yemen's governorates. Forty-two percent of those infected are children under 15 and 32 percent of those killed by the virus are over the age of 60.

July 15

WHO warns that cholera could spread from Yemen to its neighbor Saudi Arabia during the annual Hajj, which brings over 2 million to the region per year. Saudi Arabia says it is ready for such an occurrence.

July 16

The incendiary false quotes attributed to the Qatari emir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani, that sparked an ongoing diplomatic row between Qatar and its neighbors were planted by the UAE, the Washington Post reports.