UNICEF vaccine halt leaves 5 million Yemeni children without routine immunisations

September 7, 2026 at 06:46 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Nearly five million children in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen have been cut off from essential routine immunisations after UNICEF halted operations in October 2025. The final vaccine shipment reached Sanaa on September 4, 2025, and families now travel to government-held cities like Taiz to vaccinate their children. The Aden Health Ministry warned of the shortage in late July 2026 even as fighting between Houthi forces and the internationally recognised government has escalated since July.

Key Facts

UNICEF halted operations in Houthi-controlled areas in October 2025 following the detention of dozens of UN staff members and raids on its premises.
The final vaccine shipment to Houthi-held Sanaa arrived on September 4, 2025, according to the Houthi-run Health Ministry.
In late July 2026, the Aden-based Health Ministry warned that nearly five million children in Houthi-controlled areas had been cut off from essential routine immunisations.
Mirsal Adel, a 47-year-old father from Ibb, travelled 75km to Taiz and paid about $100 to vaccinate his four-month-old son.
A UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022 reduced fighting, but tensions have escalated since July 2026.

UNICEF Suspension

UNICEF halted operations in Houthi-controlled areas in October 2025 after dozens of UN staff members, including UNICEF workers, were detained and its premises were raided. The Houthis have periodically cracked down on aid sector workers during their years-long conflict with Yemen's internationally recognised government. The Health Ministry in Sanaa confirmed that the final vaccine shipment it received arrived on September 4, 2025.

Impact on Children

In late July 2026, the government's Health Ministry in Aden warned that nearly five million children in Houthi-controlled areas had been cut off from essential routine immunisations. Mirsal Adel, a 47-year-old father of five from Ibb, said public hospitals and paediatric clinics previously provided vaccines free of charge. Adel travelled last week with his four-month-old son to Taiz, a government-held city about 75km away, paying about $100 for the trip. He secured two initial doses of polio and pneumococcal vaccinations but remains anxious about future trips.

Conflict Context

The war in Yemen broke out in late 2014 when the Houthis seized much of northern and western Yemen, including Sanaa. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognised government. A UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022 significantly reduced fighting, but tensions have escalated since July 2026.