Yemeni Minister of Public Health and Population Dr. Taha al-Mutawakkil has on Tuesday declared Hodeidah an afflicted province, because of the increase in the number of patients and the spread of epidemics.

This came during a meeting held in Hodeidah and chaired by Deputy Prime Minister for Services and Development, Dr. Hussein Maqbouli, held to discuss the epidemiological situation in the province and ways to address it.

Minister al-Mutawakkil indicated that the number of suspected cases of malaria and suspected cases of cholera both reached more than a million patients, while dengue fever has reportedly claimed more than 76,000 infected cases.

The meeting, which included a number of the concerned ministers and officials and representatives of some international organisations, reviewed the health and humanitarian situation and the difficulties facing the work of the Yemeni government in this aspect.

In the meeting, Dr. Maqbouli praised the efforts made by the Health Ministry and its cadres to confront and eliminate epidemics.

The Deputy Prime Minister held the aggression coalition responsible for the spread of diseases and epidemics, as a result of the deliberate targeting of the infrastructure in Hodeidah province and the prevention of the entry of necessary medicines.

He stressed the importance of joining efforts to eradicate the epidemics through an emergency plan, indicating that this situation in the province requires urgent intervention from the concerned authorities and organisations.