‘Breaks my heart’: Yemen jab shortages spark fears for millions of children

Mirsal Adel, 47, had never struggled to find vaccines for his children. In his hometown of Ibb, in southwestern Yemen, public hospitals and paediatric clinics always provided them free of charge.But when it came to vaccinating his fifth child, a four-month-old boy, securing a shot was far from straightforward.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Yemeni forces claim strategic district amid intensified Houthi clasheslist 2 of 3Houthi attacks on Yemen’s Taiz escalate, triggering new displacement wavelist 3 of 3At least four civilians killed in Houthi missile strike near Yemen’s Taizend of list“I visited the hospital more than once, and I was told that UNICEF, which used to provide the vaccines, stopped supplying them, with no word on when they might arrive,” said Adel.In October 2025, the United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF, halted operations in areas controlled by the Houthis following the detention of dozens of UN staff members – including UNICEF workers – and raids on its premises. The Houthis have been fighting Yemen’s internationally recognised government for years, and have periodically cracked down on aid sector workers.The Health Ministry in Yemen’s Houthi-held c...