Children Account for Half of All Suspected Cholera Cases in Yemen

Yemen records 124,000 cases of cholera, half are children  –Unicef

“Children continue to bear the brunt of the war in Yemen. Many who have become ill or have died from cholera were suffering from malnutrition. At least 923 people have died from the disease since late April. Children account for one quarter of the deaths.

“The cholera outbreak is overwhelming what remains of Yemen’s conflict-battered health system.”

“With no end in sight to the conflict, the cholera outbreak – and potentially other disease will continue to stalk the lives of children.”

State of Emergency Declared in Sanaa, Yemen Over Cholera Outbreak

Plagued by Saudi airstrikes and now cholera outbreak

Cholera outbreak has killed about 115 people in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa in recent days, with about 8,600 suspected cases of the diastase reported, prompting officials  to declare a state of emergency.

[Prepared by an affiliated team of political scientists.]

• Yemen Report Nos. 1 – 9 are available from FIRE-EARTH PULSARS.

Background:

• More than 7.6 million people live in areas at high risk of cholera transmission, according to WHO.
• At least 17 million of Yemen’s 26 million population lack sufficient food and more than three million malnourished children are in “grave peril,” the U.N. has said.
• Two-thirds of the population have no access to safe drinking water.
• About 10,000 people have lost their lives, and 40,000 wounded mostly in almost daily airstrikes, conducted by Western-backed, Saudi-led coalition.

Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events – August 13, 2013

Extreme heat kills at least 40 people in south China

A heatwave that has been hovering over a large region encompassing eight provinces and municipalities in central, eastern and southern China has already been the longest lasting since 1961 (presumably when record-keeping began), with the temperatures reaching or exceeding 35ºC for an average of 25.3 day since July 1, said the National Meteorological Center (NMC). 

[Note: the actual number of people killed as a result of the heatwave may be much higher.]

“Authorities have for the first time declared the heat to be a second-level weather emergency, a label normally used for typhoons and floods. The NMC issued a second-level heat alert on Tuesday for the next 20 days.”

Worsening drought an the long-lasting heatwave have “taken a heavy toll on agriculture and made drinking water increasingly difficult to obtain,” said the report.

At least 130 million people in China have been affected by the drought and extreme heat. More than 10 million people, and as many livestock,  are short of drinking water, FIRE-EARTH estimates. See earlier posts on China drought.

Original caption: Withered tea plants are seen at a Longjing tea protection area in Hangzhou City, capital of east China’s Zhejiang Province, Aug. 12, 2013. More than 40 percent tea plants in the Longjing tea protection areas in Hangzhou died of the continuous scorching weather in recent days. (Xinhua/Long Wei). More images…

Related Links: Drought, Extreme Heat Cripple China, Japan, S. Korea

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Iraq Death Toll

Since August 1, at least 400 people have been killed and more than 2,500 others wounded amid growing violence in Iraq.

• In July, at least 1,057 people were killed and thousands more injured.
• Since the beginning of this year, at least 4,500 people have lost their lives to the violence.

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Vietnam’s coffee crop forecast down in 2013-2014

Vietnam’s coffee production for 2013-2014 is estimated at about 1.2 million tons, a decrease of 15 percent compared to the previous year, said the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association (Vicofa).

The decrease is due to the drought and hail in June, which damaged about 5,000 hectares of coffee plantation and affected other 27,000 hectares, said a report.

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Fishery disaster declared in Apalachicola

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Pritzker has declared a commercial fishery failure for the oyster fishery in Apalachicola Bay, said a report.

“Gov. Rick Scott requested the declaration in September 2012 because the fishery was near collapse. A May 2013 state report sent last week to federal officials blames lack of fresh water flowing from federal reservoirs in Georgia and Alabama.”

“Pritzker declared the commercial fishery failure for the oyster fishery along the west coast of Florida. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the fishery resource disaster resulted from excessive drought conditions in Apalachicola Bay and elsewhere in the Florida panhandle during the 2012-13 winter fishing season.” More…

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Cholera outbreak infects 1,500  in NE Afghanistan

A cholera outbreak in northeast Afghanistan has infected 1,492 people, killing at least one person and leaving more than 100 in critical condition, local officials told reporters.

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Climate Change: A Quickscan

Do You Feel Lucky in 2008?

Ukraine: Worst floods in 100 years

Floods caused by 5 days of nonstop rain kill up to 20 people, mostly children. A senior government official described the floods as the worst in 100 years. More than 20,000 homes have been flooded and 7,000 people evacuated.

Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko (3rd L) visits a settlement affected by floods in the Ivano-Frankivsk region July 27, 2008. Floods described by a senior government official as the worst in a century have killed 13 people in western Ukraine and four in neighboring Romania, officials said on Sunday. REUTERS/Mykhailo Markiv/pool

President Viktor Yushchenko flew to the worst affected area in the Ivano-Frankivsk region after leaving early a service in Kiev marking the 1,020th anniversary of the adoption of Orthodox Christianity in the region. Reuters reported.

Romania

Up to 10,000 people from 200 villages were evacuated as 2,500 houses and 25,000 hectares of farmland were flooded. At least 4 people were killed, including a child who drowned.

“We have two critical situations, on the rivers Siret and Prut,” Romanian Prime Minister said.

“So you understand the gravity of the situation, water levels on the river Prut next to the borders with Ukraine and Moldova are higher than on the Danube.”

New Zealand: Worst weather in 50 years.

g at least three dead and as many as 100,000 homes without electricity. About 10,000 tourists were stranded. [In 2008, New Zealand has thus far experienced the worst deforestation rates,worst snow storms, worst floods, worst drought and worst storms in 50 years.]

South Korea: Worst Floods in 50 Years

Up to 20 people were killed or reported as missing as the fourth day of torrential rains lashed parts of South Korea . In the worst-hit areas of North Gyeongsang province, up to 250 mm of rain
in a 24-hour period caused landslides and flooding forcing people to evacuate their homes.

Kenya

Cholera outbreak has affected eight districts in Nyanza and Western provinces. Over 80% of cholera transmission has been attributed to lack of access to safe drinking/domestic water. About 75% of the water sources are contaminated.

Myanmar

Some three months after Cyclone Nargis struck the country inflicting immense damage, as many as 700,000 children are still in need of assistance. The cyclone destroyed or damaged about 750,000 homes, affected about 2.4 million people and destroyed three quarters of the local health facilities. “In addition, the cyclone struck a severe blow to people’s livelihoods by flooding 600,000 hectares of agricultural land, killing up to 50 per cent of livestock in the affected areas, and destroying fishing boats, food stocks and agricultural implements. According to the report, the damages and losses amount to $4 billion.” UNICEF reported.

Taiwan

Typhoon Fung-Wong with winds up to 147km/h (92 mph) struck the east coast of Taiwan today with heavy rains, forcing schools and businesses to close. In July 18, tropical storm Kalmaegi struck southern Taiwan, which left 20 people killed and 6 missing. “A Central Weather Bureau forecaster was quoted as saying the total rainfall may reach 900mm (35 inches).” BBC reported.