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Yemen suffering from world's largest cholera outbreak

Yemen's cholera outbreak
Yemen's civil war fuels cholera outbreak 01:26

The two-year-old civil war in Yemen has devastated much of the nation, leaving millions on the brink of starvation. Now, the conflict has spawned a health emergency: Cholera.

It's the second cholera outbreak in 6 months, and the World Health Organization says around 250,000 people -- half of them children -- have been sickened in what is now the world's largest cholera outbreak.

Fifteen hundred people have died since April alone. The disease spreading through water contaminated with human waste.  

Hunger is also widespread and the skeletal images of people from the region are painful to see. The United Nations says the country is on the brink of famine and more than 17 million people are desperately in need of food. 

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Yemen is suffering from the world's largest cholera outbreak. CBS News

Yemen has been crippled by a two-year civil war, pinning Houthi rebels against a military alliance of Arab states led by U.S.-backed Saudi Arabia. Civilians are often the ones trapped in the middle. 

The war has also made it difficult -- if not impossible -- for aid groups to deliver food and fresh water. The nation's infrastructure, including hospitals, are on the brink of collapse.

UNICEF, which is among several aid groups on the ground, has called for a ceasefire so more can be done, but previous attempts at peace talks or ceasefires have all failed. 

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