Chicago Doctors Return From Yemen, Report On Humanitarian Crisis

People inspect the rubble of houses destroyed by Saudi-led airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Aug. 25, 2017.
People inspect the rubble of houses destroyed by Saudi-led airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Aug. 25, 2017. AP Photo/Hani Mohammed
People inspect the rubble of houses destroyed by Saudi-led airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Aug. 25, 2017.
People inspect the rubble of houses destroyed by Saudi-led airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Aug. 25, 2017. AP Photo/Hani Mohammed

Chicago Doctors Return From Yemen, Report On Humanitarian Crisis

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Chicago physician Zaher Sahloul has traveled to his native Syria to address humanitarian medical needs since the war began there 6 years ago. But Syria isn’t the only place that is suffering from major humanitarian needs. Earlier this year, Sahloul and a coalition of doctors from around the world created MedGlobal, a nonprofit that helps victims of war and disaster address pressing medical needs. A group of four physicians, including Sahloul, just returned from a weeklong trip to Yemen. It’s their first visit to the country, which has been caught in a civil war for over two years. Many have called it the worst humanitarian crisis on the globe, with more than 10,000 people dead and 3 million people displaced. 2,000 people have also died of a cholera epidemic since April, and as many as 5,000 people contract the disease per day.

In addition to addressing infectious diseases, treating physical trauma from the war makes aid political. Many consider the conflict a proxy war between U.S.-backed Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthi Rebels. To understand the situation on the ground, and the humanitarian response to it, we’re joined by Dr. Sahloul and Dr. Nour Akhras, a member of MedGlobal and a Chicago-based pediatrician who specializes in infectious diseases.