The protracted conflict in Yemen continues to have a profound impact on communities facing humanitarian crises and long-term health challenges. Yemen’s health care system is stretched to breaking point. Crumbling infrastructure, overcrowded households, poor physical conditions, lack of hygiene facilities and often insurmountable obstacles to access to medical care are the norm in many areas. Yet at the same time, Yemen faces some of the highest disease outbreak levels in the world.

Since the start of 2024, Yemen has reported over 11 300 suspected cases of dengue and 890 000 suspected cases of malaria. Poverty and dire living conditions compound the risks to the health and well-being of millions of Yemenis, trapped in a seemingly never-ending vicious cycle.

Recent heavy rainfall in Yemen’s eastern governorates saw torrents flowing through the streets, damaging roads, sweeping away dozens of vehicles, damaging agricultural land, power grids and water sources, and bringing death in their wake.

As the planet warms and rain patterns change, emerging diseases pose a growing a threat. Strategies urgently need adaptation to combat emerging diseases and protect the people of Yemen.

In May, with support from the Central Emergency Response Fund, the Ministry of Public Health and Population and WHO launched a campaign to combat mosquito-borne diseases in 6 of Yemen’s governorates. The campaign included awareness-raising activities conducted by community health volunteers, indoor fogging, residual spraying, larval source management and control of breeding spots, including the disposal of used tyres which provide a fertile breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Community health volunteers knock on doors to ensure that health information reaches the households that need it most.

Extreme weather events like floods disrupt normal water storage and increase the number of breeding sites for mosquitoes in and around human habitation, leading to outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases in densely populated areas.

Sources of clean water are scarce. Many households use barrels and other large containers to collect water for drinking and washing. A few days’ worth of water is usually stored before the next refill, increasing the risk of water- and vector-borne illnesses.

Providing basic information about safe water storage and disposal saves lives.

Inside cities, graveyards serve as a repository of memories and are an intrinsic part of Yemen’s rich cultural heritage. Surrounded by residential buildings, they are also an ideal mosquito habitat. The graveyards have open water tanks from which families take water to pour on the graves of deceased family members as a sign of respect. The stagnant water in these tanks offers a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other disease-causing organisms, including bacteria, viruses and parasites.

Health teams use residual spraying with a long-lasting insecticide to prevent mosquito egg-laying and larvae development, a simple step that reduces disease transmission and helps control mosquito populations from spreading in cities.

While it does not stop mosquito bites, it plays a crucial role in breaking the cycle of disease transmission.

Waleed Mohammed, a man in his sixties, visits his mother’s grave to pray and pay his respects. He collects water from the graveyard tanks in a yellow barrel and carries it to where his mother lies. 

Pouring water and chanting prayers asking God for peace and mercy for his mother’s soul “is the least I can do to thank her” he says.