Situation in Yemen looks like apocalypse: UN

The United Nations has warned that Yemen could become the world’s worst humanitarian disaster in half a century as the war-torn country is grappling with deadly cholera and diphtheria outbreaks amid a devastating Saudi war.

"The situation in Yemen - today, right now, to the population of the country - looks like the apocalypse," Mark Lowcock, the UN's undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, told Qatar-based broadcaster Al-Jazeera on Friday.

Lowcock said the "cholera outbreak is probably the worst the world has ever seen, with a million suspected cases until the end of 2017."

The UN official also expressed concern over "a terrible new epidemic" of diphtheria, which has killed scores of people and affected up to 500 others over the past few weeks.

He said the epidemic "is going to spread like wildfire across the country."

"Unless the situation changes, we're going to have the world's worst humanitarian disaster for 50 years."

Diphtheria is a contagious and potentially fatal bacterial infection, mainly characterized by a thick grey membrane at the back of the throat or nose, sore throat and fever. It can be prevented through vaccination.

The bacterial disease has been killing one in 10 Yemenis since the outbreak occurred in mid-August last year.

Cholera outbreak, which can cause potentially fatal dehydration if untreated, has also killed more than 2,000 people since April.

SS