Yemen’s legitimate government has warned of an impending public health crisis that could threaten millions of children in Houthi-controlled areas, urging the international community to act urgently to ensure the delivery of life-saving vaccines. It said restrictions on immunization programs have deprived nearly 5 million children of routine vaccinations, raising fears of renewed outbreaks of previously contained childhood diseases, particularly polio, measles, and diphtheria. The Ministry of Public Health and Population said the continued disruption of vaccination programs and interference in the work of humanitarian organizations were widening immunity gaps among children. It warned that the consequences could extend beyond Yemen’s borders if restrictions on vaccine access persist. The warning coincided with growing complaints from residents of the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, and other areas under the group’s control over the disappearance of childhood vaccines from health centers after years of suspended door-to-door immunization campaigns. Residents in Sanaa told Asharq Al-Awsat that vaccines are no longer available at maternal and child health clinics, fueling fears of a resurgence of epidemic diseases, particularly after polio cases were reported in those areas despite Yemen having been declared polio-free nearly three decades ago. According to residents, the suspension of nationwide vaccination campaigns was preceded by Houthi media outlets and mosque sermons that cast doubt on vaccines and urged parents to refrain from immunizing their children, portraying the vaccines as part of a “Western conspiracy.” The vaccines later disappeared from public health facilities. The Health Ministry stressed that immunization is a fundamental right of every child and one of the most effective public health interventions for reducing child mortality and preventing serious diseases. Vaccines should not be politicized or used as a means of pressure, as children ultimately bear the greatest cost, it urged. The ministry attributed the breakdown of immunization services in Houthi-held areas to continued restrictions affecting the national immunization program and its partners, including the suspension of vaccination campaigns, limits on the movement of health teams, interference in humanitarian operations, and the detention of UN and international aid personnel, forcing the scaling back or suspension of health and humanitarian activities. Vaccines allocated for all Yemeni provinces, including those under Houthi control, remain available through international health partners under established global supply mechanisms, it assured. However, restrictions on their receipt, transportation, and distribution have prevented them from reaching the intended beneficiaries. The ministry renewed its readiness, in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and other health partners, to provide vaccines to all children across Yemen without discrimination. It called for guarantees that vaccines can be transported, stored, and distributed in line with international medical standards, preserving the cold chain and ensuring they are provided free of charge. It also appealed to health workers in Sanaa and other Houthi-controlled governorates to cooperate with international organizations, facilitate the delivery of vaccines, medicines, and medical supplies, and remove obstacles hindering immunization and healthcare services. The ministry further called for international organizations and health teams to be granted safe and unconditional access to health facilities and target communities, independent technical oversight of vaccination programs, full transparency over vaccine stocks and distribution, an independent technical inventory, and the release of detained UN and humanitarian personnel to allow health and relief operations to resume fully. It warned that continued disruption of immunization services would widen immunity gaps and lead to renewed outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio, measles, diphtheria, whooping cough, and tetanus, posing a health threat that extends beyond Yemen. Meanwhile, the government said it continues to strengthen immunization programs in areas under its control. Last month, it received a shipment of more than 2.8 million vaccine doses for children and mothers, including vaccines against polio, measles, rotavirus, and other preventable diseases. UNICEF stressed that vaccination remains one of the most effective ways to save lives and protect communities, and that ensuring the continued availability of vaccines is essential to giving children the opportunity to grow up healthy.
