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UNICEF Yemen Country Office Humanitarian Situation Report (1 - 31 October 2019) [EN/AR]

Countries
Yemen
Sources
UNICEF
Publication date

Highlights

• In October, 3 children were killed, 16 children were injured and 3 boys were recruited by various parties to the conflict.

• 59,297 suspected Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD)/cholera cases were identified and 50 associated deaths were recorded (0.08 case fatality rate) in October. UNICEF treated over 14,000 AWD/cholera suspected cases (one quarter of the national caseload).

• Due to fuel crisis, in Ibb, Dhamar and Al Mahwit, home to around 400,000 people, central water systems were forced to shut down completely.

• 3.1 million children under five were screened for malnutrition, and 243,728 children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (76 per cent of annual target) admitted for treatment

Situation in Numbers

12.3 million children in need of humanitarian assistance

24.1 million people in need (OCHA, 2019 Yemen Humanitarian Needs Overview)

1.71 million children internally displaced (IDPs)

UNICEF Appeal 2019 US$ 536 million

Funding Available* US$ 362 million

Funding Overview and Partnerships

Between January and October 2019, UNICEF received $194.2 million of contributions towards the 2019 Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeal, which has been aligned with the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan for 2019. In October, UNICEF received $20million from Kuwait and $700,000 from National Committees for UNICEF (Poland, Canada, and Germany) towards the HAC appeal; however, a funding gap of $173.7 million remains. UNICEF expects upcoming contributions from KSA ($70 million) and UAE ($35 million). UNICEF still has funding gaps for IDP WASH response in Al Hudaydah and Hajjah as well as for the provision of fuel to the Local Water and Sanitation Corporations (LWSCs) in major cities. If this situation is not addressed, more than 3 million people (1.5 million women, 1 million men, and 500,000 children) will be affected.

Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs

In October, Northern Yemen experienced acute fuel and gas shortages due to recent Government regulations on commercial fuel imports. On black markets, the price of fuel rose to over 1,000 YER/litre, almost three times the official price. Many fuel stations were closed or had limited operating hours, with several kilometres of queues and 2-3 days of waiting time. The fuel crisis impacted transportation, pumping of drinking water and power to sanitation systems. In some parts of the country, water in urban centres forced to stop. Without fuel, 15 million people would face water supplies cut. 11 million people (38 per cent of the population) across the country rely on piped water networks, which requires solar or fuel to operate. An additional 4 million people who depend on commercial water trucking might be impacted by the fuel crisis as trucks cannot operate with fuel shortages . Nearly threequarters of hospitals might be impacted by the fuel crisis, to provide health care .

During the reporting period, the UN Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting verified 86 per cent of reported incidents, including 3 children killed (2 boys; 1 girl), 16 children injured (11 boys; 5 girls), and 3 boys recruited by various parties to the conflict. Most of the incidents documented and verified were in Al Hudaydah followed by Al Dhale’e and Shabwah.

The number of suspected Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD)/cholera cases continued to reduce since the first week in September 2019, with 287 out of 333 districts reporting suspected cases this month so far. In October, there have been 59,297 suspected AWD/cholera cases and 50 associated deaths recorded (0.08 case fatality rate, CFR). While children under five represent 30.9 per cent of the total suspected cases, the elderly are most seriously affected where deaths are higher among the over sixty age group, indicating possible comorbidity causes.

Between January and October 2019, 20,958 suspected cases of dengue fever with 99 associated deaths (CFR 0.5 per cent)3 were reported in Aden, Taizz, Lahj, Al Hudaydah, and Abyan. In the lowland coastal areas accounting for 87 per cent of the cases. Many of the cases were linked to the movement of internally displaced people (IDPs) or residents who had travelled to dengue-endemic governorates.