Sudan records around 100,000 cholera cases in one year

Sudan has recorded around 100,000 cases of cholera since July 2024, the World Health Organisation (WHO), reported this week.

The report comes amid the drastically worsening humanitarian situation in the country, following 28 months of war and turmoil.

Health officials have warned that malnutrition is worsening along with the spread of disease and displacement.

The UN in recent weeks warned of an unprecedented humanitarian crisis as a result of the ongoing clashes between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The Director-general of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, told a press conference in Geneva that “cholera has spread in Sudan" and "all Sudanese states have reported outbreaks of this disease".

"Cholera has swept across Sudan, with all states reporting outbreaks. Nearly 100,000 cases have been reported since July last year," he confirmed.

He warned that "recent floods that hit large parts of Sudan could exacerbate malnutrition, as well as fuel new outbreaks of cholera, malaria, dengue fever and other diseases".

While some vaccination campaigns have been underway in several states, there are huge gaps in the surveillance of the process and "the process is fragile," Ghebreyesus said.

According to reports, cholera has been on the rise globally since 2021. The infection spreads rapidly in areas where access to basic services, such as clean water, sanitation and healthcare is limited. If left untreated, cholera can be fatal within hours of infection due to severe dehydration.

Cholera also causes severe diarrhoea, vomiting and muscle cramps, affecting children in particular.

The UN’s efforts have reportedly been held back by a lack of funding, impacting its emergency health assistance projects in Sudan.

In el-Fashir, the capital of the besieged state of north Darfur, people have resorted to eating animal fodder to survive amidst the worsening conditions.

Millions of people across Sudan are currently left hungry, while famine has been reported in several parts of the country. The WHO recently warned that around 770,000 children under the age of five could face malnutrition this year.

The UN this week also said children in war-torn Sudan's capital have been reduced to "skin and bones".

The World Food Programme said food prices had soared by 460 percent compared to the rest of the country, forcing soup kitchens to shut while aid remains blocked.

Civilians in Al-Fashir - who are sheltering from shelling in makeshift bunkers - continue to come under fire as the RSF presses an assault to consolidate control over the entire Darfur region.

Since mid-April 2023, Sudan has been ravaged by a vicious war between the army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. The war has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced over a million people.