Yemen has been ravaged by war since March 2015, with estimated casualties standing at more than 10,000 deaths and more than 40,000 injuries by the end of 2017. The war has leveled the country’s public health system, allowing infectious diseases to run rampant through the population and leading to one of the worst cholera outbreaks in history. In late 2017, the United Nations estimated that more than 1 million people had contracted the disease. Ensuring that proper biosafety measures are established and followed is vital to preventing the spread of cholera and other pathogens.

To better understand the constraints and challenges local laboratories are facing, ASM conducted a country-wide laboratory infrastructure and security survey, to which 260 employees at 30 public and private laboratories responded. The survey results described capacity gaps, waste management practices, infrastructure challenges, and other pressing problems.

Eighty survey respondents were selected to participate in biorisk management workshops, which took place in Aden, Ibb, Sana’a, and Taiz. From this group, ASM has selected 20 participants for further training intended to develop them as biorisk management leaders. ASM anticipates that these leaders will be able to rebuild the health systems that have collapsed during the war.

ASM’s former Ambassador Dr. Nagi Al-Haj (second term ended December 2017) and Young Ambassador Ms. Sumia Abbas played critical roles in coordinating activities on the ground. Their efforts illustrate the great resolve of scientists dedicated to providing the necessary services for health and veterinary systems, even in the face of great danger.