Yemen's cholera death toll rises to 1500

The World Health Organisation says there have been 1,500 deaths from cholera in war-torn Yemen.

A girl is treated for suspected cholera infection at a hospital in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, Jul. 1, 2017. Source: AAP

The death toll from a major cholera outbreak in Yemen has risen to 1,500, the World Health Organisation says.

Yemen has been devastated by a 27-month war between a Saudi-led coalition and the armed Iran-aligned Houthi group, making it a breeding ground for the disease, which spreads by faeces getting into food or water and thrives in places with poor sanitation.

Speaking at a joint news conference with representatives of the United Nations Children Fund and the World Bank, WHO's Nevio Zagaria representative in Yemen said that had been some 246,000 suspected cases in the period to June 30.

The WHO said this week that the outbreak had reached the halfway mark at 218,798 cases as a massive emergency response has begun to curb its spread two months into the epidemic.

Although most of Yemen's health infrastructure has broken down and health workers have not been paid for more than six months, the WHO is paying "incentives" to doctors, nurses, cleaners and paramedics to staff an emergency cholera network.