The internationally recognised Yemeni government warns that restrictions on vaccine access in Houthi-held areas threaten a resurgence of preventable diseases, risking a regional health emergency.
Yemen’s internationally recognised government has warned of an imminent public health crisis in areas held by the Houthis, saying restrictions on vaccination campaigns have left roughly 5 million children without routine immunisations and raised the risk of a return of diseases that had long been under control, including polio, measles and diphtheria. The health ministry said the problem now extends beyond Yemen’s borders if access to vaccines continues to be blocked.
In Sana’a and other Houthi-run areas, residents and health workers have reported that childhood vaccines have disappeared from clinics and mother-and-child centres. Local accounts described a growing sense of alarm as the pentavalent vaccine and other routine jabs were reportedly unavailable for weeks or months, with no clear explanation from the authorities controlling the capital. The shortages have fuelled fears that children born in these areas are missing the early doses needed to build basic immunity.
Medical sources cited by Yemeni outlets have linked the shortage to a broader pattern of interference in public health work, including restrictions on the movement of health teams, disruption of immunisation drives and pressure on aid agencies. Some reports said UNICEF had been delivering large monthly vaccine shipments intended to protect millions of children, but that supplies were not reaching families in Houthi-held territory. Yemeni doctors have also warned that preventable diseases are already producing severe complications, with some children requiring intensive care.
The government says the vaccines remain available through international health partners and that the central obstacle is not supply but access. It has urged the World Health Organisation, UNICEF and Gavi to help ensure delivery, storage and distribution under international standards, while also calling for the release of detained UN and aid workers. In government-held areas, meanwhile, authorities said they had received more than 2.8 million vaccine doses last month, underscoring the widening divide in access to basic child health services across Yemen.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
