Yemen will launch next Sunday the national campaign to fight bilharzias that will cover 160 districts in 12 governorates, said Ahmed Qasim Al-Ansi, the minister of health and population, on Thursday.
The campaign will target about 45 percent of the Yemeni people aged six years and beyond this age in Taiz, Ibb, Sanaa the capital, Sanaa the governorate, Hajja, Saada, Amran, Dhamar, Lahj, Mahweet and Rima.
The pregnant women will not be among the targeted.
“The campaign will be the largest one in terms of the number of those who will be targeted and will be carried out by many teams including 171 medication distributors and 327 supervisors,” the minister said, pointing out that the campaign will be financed by the World Bank.
Separately, the National Meteorology Centre (NMC) has warned that a sandstorm is approaching Yemeni territories and can lead to low visibility and temperature.
The storm is coming from the middle and east of the Arabian Peninsula and will reach Yemeni desert provinces such as Marib, Hadramout, Shabwa, Jawf and Mahra, the center said, adding that it also can reach other mountainous areas including the capital Sanaa, Amran and Dhamar.
The center urged all to take precautions and the elderly and children with chest diseases to avoid dust brought by the storm.