Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the risk of cholera in north Yemen.

The risk of cholera in the north of Yemen is deeply concerning. In 2017, Yemen experienced the worst cholera outbreak ever recorded in a single year, with more than one million reported cases. This year, nearly 90% of the Yemeni districts prioritised by the UN for its cholera response are in Houthi-held areas in the north of Yemen.

The risk in northern Yemen is exacerbated by obstructions to commercial and humanitarian access. The Houthis are yet to provide permission for a cholera vaccination campaign in the north of Yemen, and have obstructed humanitarian staff. Whilst critical commercial imports of food and fuel into northern Yemen are increasing, there are still not enough basic supplies entering the country.

The UK’s aid of £170 million to Yemen this financial year (2018/19) will tackle the underlying causes of cholera with support for nutrition, clean water and sanitation, and meet the immediate food needs for 2.5 million Yemenis. The UK also supported the first-ever phase of a cholera vaccination campaign in the south of Yemen, which was completed earlier this month and targeted more than 450,000 with the oral cholera vaccine.