Nearly five million children in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen have been cut off from essential routine vaccinations, according to Yemen’s government Health Ministry in Aden. Families in those areas are struggling to find vaccines, while rival authorities blame each other for the disruption.
UNICEF halted operations in Houthi-controlled areas in October 2025 after dozens of UN staff members were detained and its premises were raided. The Health Ministry in Sanaa said its final vaccine shipment arrived on September 4, 2025.
Why supplies stopped
Anees al-Asbahi, spokesperson for the Health Ministry in Sanaa, blamed UNICEF and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, saying all nine routine childhood vaccines were eventually exhausted. He said there had been no agreement to receive shipments by road and accused the agencies of failing to respond to warnings about shortages.
The Health Ministry in Aden said vaccines were available for all of Yemen through health-sector partners, including areas controlled by the Houthis. It accused Houthi authorities of preventing the receipt, transport and distribution of supplies. Deputy Health Minister Ali al-Waleedi said the ministry had planned two polio vaccination rounds this year and that more than 65 percent of the supply had been allocated to Houthi-controlled areas.
Families face costly journeys
Mirsal Adel travelled from Ibb to the government-held city of Taiz, about 75km away, to vaccinate his four-month-old son. He said the journey cost about $100 and that he obtained the child’s first two doses of polio and pneumococcal vaccines.
Parents in Sanaa told the report they could not afford similar travel. Mohammed Abdulwahed said his family had faced shortages earlier in the year but could no longer find vaccines locally. A healthcare worker in Taiz said dozens of children from Houthi-controlled areas were arriving at the hospital each day for vaccination. For additional context, see “Study links shingles vaccine to lower heart and stroke risk”.
A wider health-system strain
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported in March that 59.3 percent of Yemen’s health facilities were fully functional and that complete vaccination coverage stood at 63 percent. Those figures were recorded before vaccine supplies in Houthi-controlled areas were completely exhausted by July, so they do not reflect the full impact of the later disruption.
The UN continues to call for the release of detained personnel, the return of assets seized from its offices and the removal of restrictions on aid organisations. UNICEF said it was doing its best to help every child access vaccines, while Gavi did not respond to requests for comment.
What happens next
Yemen’s rival health authorities are expected to address the barriers to receiving and transporting vaccines, while the UN continues to press for the release of detained aid workers and the lifting of operational restrictions.
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