Yemen cholera outbreak
Dominik Stillhart, director of operations for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), visits patients at a hospital in Sanaa, Yemen, May 12, 2017.Reuters

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the toll in the cholera outbreak in Yemen has reached 859, with 70 new deaths reported in the last three days.

The WHO on Sunday said the number of suspected cases has increased to 116,700, 14,880 more than on June 8, reports Efe news.

The epidemic, which began in April, has spread to 20 out of the 22 provinces in the country; especially in capital Sanaa, the agency added.

The organisation warned that the healthcare system in Yemen is on the verge of collapse as many hospitals have shut down because of the ongoing conflict, saying only 45 per cent of them are still operational and they are facing a shortage of supplies and staff.

The war has so far killed more than 10,000 people, half of them civilians, and displaced over 2 million others, according to humanitarian agencies.

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