According to Khaleej Times, aid agencies have launched a polio vaccination campaign in Yemen to inoculate up to five million children under the age of five across the impoverished Arab state whose healthcare system has been crippled by more than three years of war.
The three-day campaign which began on Monday is organised by the UN children's agency Unicef, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the health ministry of the Houthi movement which controls most population centers in the country where millions face starvation, making them more vulnerable to diseases.
"The campaign comes at a very critical time," said Meritxell Relano, Unicef's representative in Yemen. "The lack of a fully functional healthcare system and widespread malnutrition have drastically increased the risk of preventable diseases. "It's very important that all the parties to the conflict allow unhindered access to enable us to reach all children, from north to south, east to west, with this vital vaccine."
The international community show efforts to solve end the war in Yemen. According to Devdiscourse, a British push for the U.N. Security Council to take action on Yemen's humanitarian crisis has slowed because several members, including the United States, are wary of impeding United Nations efforts to convene peace talks, diplomats said.
The 15-member council continues to work on the draft resolution that would enshrine five requests made by U.N. aid chief Mark Lowcock - one of which was for a truce around facilities on which the aid operation and commercial importers rely - but is undecided on when it should be put it to a vote.
Yemen's economy is in crisis and three-quarters of its population, or 22 million people, require aid. Some 8.4 million are on the brink of starvation, although the United Nations has warned that will likely rise to 14 million.
Britain circulated the draft text to council members a week ago, but did not give a timetable for a vote.
"Discussions on the resolution are ongoing and we will put it to a vote at the point that best delivers for the people of Yemen," said a spokesman for Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
