By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2026-09-02

Health experts in Yemen warn that the Houthi group is disrupting vital vaccination campaigns against deadly diseases in areas under its control.

They cautioned that primary victims include Yemeni children, their families, and the nation's already strained, struggling healthcare system.

This persistent gap could lead to the resurgence of polio, measles, and diphtheria, threatening the health of future generations.

Dangerous gaps in immunization coverage

In August, the internationally recognized government accused the Iran-backed Houthi group of depriving nearly 5 million children of life-saving routine vaccines.

The group allegedly achieves this by obstructing vaccine shipments, imposing severe restrictions on vaccination teams, and actively interfering with humanitarian operations.

According to global health statistics, approximately one in four Yemeni children has not received the full series of recommended vaccines.

Seventeen percent have received no doses at all, representing a significant vaccination gap within the Middle East and North Africa.

Acute shortages cripple local facilities

Staff at health centers in Sanaa report a clear shortage of vaccines, forcing parents to travel between facilities in desperate searches.

One anonymous worker told Al-Fassel that health centers are currently administering only the vaccines they have in stock, which are running low.

"This situation raises serious concerns among families, especially with the emergence of cases of vaccine-preventable diseases," he warned.

Dr. Abdul Raqib al-Haidari, the Deputy Minister of Health, said that immunization is a basic human right for every child.

"Vaccines are a fundamental health right for every Yemeni child and must under no circumstances be subject to political or military disputes or any other considerations," he told Al-Fassel.

Political conflict endangers future generations

"Any obstruction of immunization campaigns or restriction of health teams' access to children, regardless of the party responsible, effectively means leaving thousands of children unprotected against dangerous diseases that can be prevented with safe and effective vaccines," Al-Haidari warned.

Delaying vaccinations denies children vital protection during the developmental periods when they remain most vulnerable to serious, life-threatening viral infections.

"It is unfortunate that Yemeni children pay the price for political conflict. Disease does not ask a child which region they live in or which party controls it," al-Haidari said.

"Anyone who wishes to defend the Yemeni people must first protect the lives of their children, the health of their mothers, and the future of their generations," he added.

Activists now emphasize the need to depoliticize all immunization efforts and facilitate immediate access for teams across all regions of Yemen.

Historically, the Houthis banned house-to-house campaigns, baselessly labeling them part of a Western conspiracy, while only briefly permitting limited distribution in cities.