Claire Manera from Médecins Sans Frontières returns to the show to discuss the cholera epidemic in Yemen, which has somehow gotten much worse. When Manera was on the show less than two months ago there were an estimated 30,000 cholera cases; today there are more than 300,000. So many people are sick that they aren’t able to get to the hospital and many are dying in their homes without the critical care they need. Manera explains how cholera spreads and why the Saudi-U.S. war in Yemen has exasperated the impoverished conditions. The epidemic has gotten so bad, particularly among children, that in some cases patients die within just a few hours of contracting the disease. The case fatality rate is growing as the disease spreads rapidly and many people can’t get transport to hospitals. Tragically Manera expects the upcoming rainy season to make the dire situation even worse. Finally, Manera explains how people can help Doctors Without Borders in Yemen, including by helping to provide chlorine and saline.
Claire Manera is the coordinator of Médecins Sans Frontières in Yemen.
Discussed on the show:
- “Suspected Cholera Cases Pass 300,000 In Yemen, Red Cross Says” (NPR)
- Doctors Without Borders (Yemen)
- Clair Manera on the Scott Horton Show
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