WHO hails UAE-Saudi $20 million grant to fight cholera in Yemen

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has hailed the $20 million grant provided by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to fight cholera in Yemen.

"The UAE-Saudi financial support is conducive to stopping the outbreak of cholera in the communities most heavily affected by the disease, while helping in building capacities to develop effective and rapid response to the epidemic in the future," said Altaf S. Musani, Representative and Head of Mission at World Health Organisation, in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE on April 9, 2019, pledged $200 million worth of aid to Yemen.

About $140 million is allocated to the World Food Programme to bridge the funding gaps for food needs, while $40m will go to the UNICEF to address sanitation problems and malnutrition among women and children.

WHO will receive $20m to help control cholera in 147 most heavily affected areas by increasing the number of medical centres and vaccination campaigns, and providing clean water and sanitation services.

The world organisation has stated that the two countries have provided a total of $145.6 million in aid since 2018, thanks to which two million women have got emergency reproductive health services in Q1-2019 in addition to restoring 25 first-aid facilities in remote areas inhabited by Internally Displaced People as well as offering healthcare services to around 50,000 people and vaccinating 18 million against cholera, diphtheria, measles, polio and German measles.

WAM