Dengue fever outbreak infects thousands in war-torn Yemen
Thousands of people have been diagnosed with dengue fever in southern Yemen, where fighting has raged for months between Shiite rebels and their opponents, international organizations and health officials said Thursday.
The top health ministry official in the southern port city of Aden, al-Khadr Al-Aswar, told The Associated Press that at least 5,000 people have been diagnosed with the mosquito-borne virus. He said mountains of uncollected garbage, sewage and heat have contributed to the spread of the disease. The World Health Organization said last week that at least 3,000 suspected cases have been reported since March in several provinces, including Aden. It said three people died from the disease. The WHO said the last major outbreak, with 1,500 confirmed cases, was in 2011 in the western Hodeida governorate.
