The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) is appealing for a safe corridor to reach more than 3 million people in war-torn Yemen’s most populated governorate, Taiz, where “an extreme spike” in cases of dengue fever has been recorded over the past two weeks.

“There is an urgent need for a humanitarian corridor to assess the situation and institute control measures,” said Dr. Ala Alwan, WHO’s Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean.

“We need protection and safety for all people working to control the worrying outbreak of dengue fever in Taiz, which includes support with residual spraying, health education of communities and distribution of other supplies,” Dr. Alwan said.

With an estimated population of 3.2 million people, Taiz, near the southern tip of the country, is the most populated governorate in Yemen where now three of its major hospitals are inaccessible or have been caught in the frontline of fire denying millions of displaced, sick and wounded civilians access to health services, WHO said in a press release issued over the weekend.

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Website: www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=51760#.VeXc–ksdv0