Measles Outbreak in Yemen's Hajjah Province Kills 77, Sparks Concern Over Anti-Vaccine Campaigns by Houthi Rebels
Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has recorded hundreds of measles cases in Yemen's Hajjah province, which is controlled by the Iran-backed Houthis.
Between February and May 2023, the Abs Hospital in Hajjah treated 341 measles patients, including 22 critical cases, while the Al-Mahabisha Hospital admitted an increasing number of children with the illness.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that a measles outbreak in Yemen had killed 77 Yemenis and detected 10,000 cases in Houthi-controlled northern Yemeni provinces since the beginning of the year.
Yemeni health officials and international aid organizations attributed the epidemic to anti-vaccine campaigns by the Houthis, who have adopted a narrative that demonizes vaccines and urges Yemeni parents to refrain from vaccinating their children.
Even Houthi officials claimed that children who did not receive vaccinations were healthier than those who did.
Meanwhile, Houthi-planted mines have continued to kill and maim dozens of Yemeni civilians, primarily in the western province of Hodeidah.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that a measles outbreak in Yemen had killed 77 Yemenis and detected 10,000 cases in Houthi-controlled northern Yemeni provinces since the beginning of the year.
Yemeni health officials and international aid organizations attributed the epidemic to anti-vaccine campaigns by the Houthis, who have adopted a narrative that demonizes vaccines and urges Yemeni parents to refrain from vaccinating their children.
Even Houthi officials claimed that children who did not receive vaccinations were healthier than those who did.
Meanwhile, Houthi-planted mines have continued to kill and maim dozens of Yemeni civilians, primarily in the western province of Hodeidah.
