Jane Novak

Published:15-07-2010

HADRAMOUT, July 12 — A report by the Yemeni government today said that Dengue Fever claimed twelve lives in Hadramout governorate and 1142 others were infected with the disease.  

Seven children died of the epidemic in Hajja last week and 200 people are inflicted with the epidemic, medical sources in Hajja said.

Over 1100 cases were reported in Shabwa. Al-Jumhoori Hospital in Taiz earlier reported 525 cases, but numbers are likely higher now. Other governorates suffering from the outbreak include Aden,  Abyan, and Lahj.

A team of Saudi medical experts visited Hadramout in June and said the lack of modern testing equipment complicates diagnostic efforts,  “A diagnostic machine that can trace the virus in the blood from the first day of infection is not available in Hadramout. Doctors depend on the count of antibodies in the blood, which appear only after seven days from infection.”

Doctors and residents in affected areas have complained about the Health Ministry’s lack of attention on the outbreak. The Ministry is riddled with corruption and often ineffective and negligent during public health crises.

In April, a hospital director in Taiz died from the disease, two months after the outbreak was reported to the Health Ministry. The Health Ministry made no efforts to prevent the spread of the disease in Taiz, generating public protests which were broken up by police.

The district of Milhan has 100,000 residents and 16 medical facilities that are woefully under equipped. Only four have generators, one has microscopes and the rest lack electricity and a basic laboratory.

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne infection and education campaigns should highlight the danger of stagnant water, open-liquid containers and standing rainfall in areas where mosquitoes breed. Yemen is suffering from severe water scarcity. Rural women can spend up to seven hours a day hauling water.