Expired drug kills 10 child leukemia patients in Yemen
PBS NewsHourNov 29, 2022
Yemen: 'Contaminated' Medicine Kills At Least 10 Children
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Image copyright: Reuters [via Al Jazeera]
The Facts
On Friday, officials announced that at least 10 children with leukemia died after being treated with contaminated medication in Yemen’s Houthi rebel-held capital Sanaa. They were aged between 3 and 15.
The children were among a group of 19 — with nine reportedly now in critical condition — who received the treatment at the Kuwait Hospital.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
While Saudi Arabia has given billions of dollars in aid to Yemen, the Iranian government has spent all its money on manufacturing weapons and prolonging this humanitarian crisis. Until the Houthi rebels choose human life over military growth, this conflict will only continue to block countless children from obtaining life-saving food and medical supplies.
Establishment-critical narrative
It's the Yemeni government and its powerful Gulf allies who have obstructed peace in Yemen and continue to punish its citizens for standing up for themselves. The Saudi coalition is behind countless war crimes against children, and its part in robbing Yemenis of essential necessities shouldn't be overlooked.
Cynical narrative
The war in Yemen, now in its eighth year, is every bit as brutal as what's taking place in Ukraine, and both sides have violated the agreed ceasefire on numerous occasions. The West's failure to address this humanitarian disaster in government and the media with any sort of urgency says a lot about the world's inherent bias and who it considers worthy and unworthy victims.
