OBJECTIVES The cholera outbreak in Yemen has become the largest in the recent history of cholera records, having reached more than 1.4 million cases since it started in late 2016. This study aimed to identify risk factors for cholera in this outbreak.
METHODS
A case-control study was conducted in Aden in 2018 to investigate risk factors for cholera in this still-ongoing outbreak. In total, 59 cholera cases and 118 community controls were studied.
RESULTS
The following risk factors were associated with being a cholera case in the bivariate analysis: a history of travelling and having had visitors from outside Aden Province; eating outside the house; not washing fruit, vegetables, and khat (a local herbal stimulant) before consumption; using common-source water; and not using chlorine or soap in the household. In the multivariate analysis, not washing khat and the use of common-source water remained significant risk factors for being a cholera case.
CONCLUSIONS
Behavioural factors and unsafe water appear to be the major risk factors in the recent cholera outbreak in Yemen. In order to reduce the risk of cholera, hygiene practices for washing khat and vegetables and the use and accessibility of safe drinking water should be promoted at the community level.
Summary
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Cholera Outbreaks in Low- and Middle-Income Countries in the Last Decade: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Anastasia A. Asantewaa, Alex Odoom, Godfred Owusu-Okyere, Eric S. Donkor Microorganisms.2024; 12(12): 2504. CrossRef
Knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward COVID-19 prevention in Yemen: a community-based cross-sectional study Ola El Hajj Hassan, Ahmed Asa’ad Al-Aghbari, Maureen McGowan, Maureen Dar Iang, Huda Omer Basaleem, Khaled Abdulla Al-Sakkaf, Dalia Hyzam, Albrecht Jahn, Fekri Dureab Frontiers in Public Health.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Inadequate Hand Washing, Lack of Clean Drinking Water and Latrines as Major Determinants of Cholera Outbreak in Somali Region, Ethiopia in 2019 Jemal Mussa Challa, Tamirat Getachew, Adera Debella, Melkamu Merid, Genanaw Atnafe, Addis Eyeberu, Abdi Birhanu, Lemma Demissie Regassa Frontiers in Public Health.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Determining factors associated with cholera disease in Ethiopia using Bayesian hierarchical modeling Tsigereda Tilahun Letta, Denekew Bitew Belay, Endale Alemayehu Ali BMC Public Health.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Cholera outbreak investigation report in Mille woreda, Afar region, Ethiopia, 2019 Hana Mekonen, Kefyalew Amene, Dr Samrawit Bisrat, Tesfahun Abye MOJ Women s Health.2022; 11(2): 63. CrossRef
Risk Factors of Cholera Transmission in Al Hudaydah, Yemen: Case-Control Study Abdulqawi Mohammed Qaserah, Mohammed Abdullah Al Amad, Abdulwahed Abduljabbar Al Serouri, Yousef Saleh Khader JMIR Public Health and Surveillance.2021; 7(7): e27627. CrossRef
Solar-powered desalination, a novel solar still directly connected to solar parabolic trough Ali M. Aqlan, Musaed Aklan, Abdulmalik E. Momin Energy Reports.2021; 7: 2245. CrossRef
Cholera Outbreak in Hadhramout, Yemen: The Epidemiological Weeks 2019 Eidha Ali Bin-Hameed, Huda Ameen Joban International Journal of Epidemiologic Research.2021; 8(1): 40. CrossRef
Knowledge on and preventive practices of cholera in Al-Mahweet – Yemen, 2018: a cross-sectional study Fekri Dureab, Yasameen Al-Qadasi, Hani Nasr, Marwah Al-Zumair, Taha Al-Mahbashi Journal of Water and Health.2021; 19(6): 1002. CrossRef
Reinventing the Wheel of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato Transmission to Humans Francesca Tamarozzi, Peter Deplazes, Adriano Casulli Trends in Parasitology.2020; 36(5): 427. CrossRef