14 September 2020 – A dengue fever control campaign that will cover the 8 districts of Aden city was launched on 13 September by the Ministry of Public Health and Population, with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief).
The 4-day campaign will include indoor and outdoor fogging, community awareness activités, vector surveillance and environmental management of all mosquitoes breeding sources, providing direct protection to 430 000 people and indirectly to the 1.7 million total population of Aden city.
The campaign represents the second round of dengue control response in the city this year. A first round was conducted in May with the support of WHO.
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease transmitted by female mosquitoes mainly of the species Aedes aegypti. It is endemic in the urban and semi-urban setting in the coastal areas of Yemen on the Red Sea and Arabian Sea. However, data collected in 2019 and 2020 showed that dengue was reported in 204 districts, including rural areas.
Early in 2020, once-in-a-generation flooding devasted southern communities in Yemen, including in Aden, resulting in the emergence of outbreaks, including dengue fever, malaria and chikungunya, all transmitted by mosquitos.
About the WHO-KSRelief malaria control and prevention project
In March 2020, WHO and KSRelief signed an agreement to support national response for malaria and dengue vector control and prevention in Yemen. An 18-month multidimensionnel projet has been built on 4 pillars:
- strengthening malaria diagnosis and treatment at public health facilities and community level;
- maintaining effective coverage of all populations at risk of malaria and dengue through implementation of suitable vector control interventions;
- strengthening surveillance activities, epidemic preparedness and response for malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases;
- strengthening national capacity to ensure the continuity of malaria control and prevention and to address the ongoing emergency and humanitarian crisis.
The 18-month project will serve more than 7 million beneficiaries.
