Médecins Sans Frontières Warns of Rising Cases of Severe Acute Malnutrition Among Children in Northern Yemen

Médecins Sans Frontières Warns of Rising Cases of Severe Acute Malnutrition Among Children in Northern Yemen

Northern Yemen – Médecins Sans Frontières has warned of a growing number of children arriving at hospitals in northern Yemen suffering from severe acute malnutrition and life-threatening medical complications, as the humanitarian and health situation continues to deteriorate in areas under the control of the Houthi armed group.

In a statement, the organization said that its medical teams at Abs General Hospital treated approximately 1,216 children suffering from malnutrition between January and May 2026. Of these, 1,106 children were diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition and related medical complications.

MSF explained that the number of cases recorded during the first five months of 2026 represents a 19 percent increase compared with the same period in 2025, highlighting the worsening child malnutrition crisis across northern Yemen.

The organization stressed that without urgent, sustained, and adequately funded interventions to address the crisis, preventable deaths are likely to rise sharply—both those linked to malnutrition and those resulting from disease outbreaks and the lack of timely access to appropriate medical care.