Sudan Reports Over 113,600 Cholera Cases, 3,000 Deaths

(MENAFN) Sudan is grappling with a severe cholera outbreak that has infected more than 113,600 individuals and claimed over 3,000 lives since July 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Tuesday. The outbreak’s case fatality ratio has reached a worrying 2.7%, with Darfur identified as the most severely affected area, according to Hala Khudari, WHO’s deputy representative to Sudan, who spoke at a press briefing in Geneva.

As of Sunday, 12,739 cholera cases and 358 deaths were recorded across 36 of Darfur’s 64 localities. The town of Tawila in North Darfur, home to over half a million displaced people, accounts for 61% of the region’s total cases, underscoring the gravity of the crisis.

In response, a cholera vaccination campaign kicked off Sunday, aiming to immunize 1.86 million people in six high-risk areas across South, East, and North Darfur. The vaccines had only recently arrived in Nyala after prolonged delays caused by access and logistical hurdles, Khudari noted.

“While vaccination is highly effective, it is one part of a comprehensive cholera response,” Khudari emphasized, highlighting the critical need for robust surveillance, treatment availability, access to clean water, and active community engagement. She warned that “without peace, sustaining health services will remain a major challenge.”

Sudan’s ongoing civil war, ignited in April 2023 between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, continues to fuel widespread violence, displacement, and disruption of essential services, exacerbating the public health emergency.

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