Cholera Outbreak in Sudan: Over 170 Deaths Amid Ongoing Crisis
A cholera outbreak in Sudan has claimed 172 lives and infected over 2,500 since last week, primarily affecting Khartoum and Omdurman. The humanitarian crisis stems from returning residents discovering damaged infrastructure and a lack of clean water, exacerbated by ongoing civil conflict. Health agencies report dire conditions, with overwhelmed treatment facilities and a collapsed healthcare system. Chronic war-related challenges, along with the emergence of other diseases, further complicate the scenario, underscoring an urgent need for intervention.
CAIRO — A severe cholera outbreak in Sudan has resulted in at least 172 fatalities and over 2,500 reported cases in the last week alone. The epidemic is primarily concentrated in Khartoum and the adjacent city of Omdurman. Unfortunately, many returning citizens lack access to clean water, making the cholera transmission even more precarious, particularly as the country’s health infrastructure continues to deteriorate due to ongoing conflict.
According to reports from the Health Ministry, the number of daily cases leaped from around 90 to 815 between May 15 and 25, prompting alarm from health officials. Since the beginning of this year, over 7,700 cholera cases have been confirmed, with more than 1,000 children under four affected. While Khartoum and Omdurman have seen the highest incidence, cases have also emerged in five other provinces.
Joyce Bakker, Sudan coordinator for Doctors Without Borders, expressed deep concern about the situation. Her organization’s treatment centers in Omdurman are currently overwhelmed. “The scenes are disturbing. Many patients are arriving too late to be saved… We don’t know the true scale of the outbreak, and our teams can only see a fraction of the full picture,” Bakker stated.
The worsening outbreak can be traced back to the conditions in Khartoum and Omdurman, which have been intensely impacted by civil war. Following a military reclaiming of the capital from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces at the end of March, approximately 34,000 individuals returned to find their homes partially destroyed. Compounding this issue, crucial sanitation and water supplies have been compromised due to attacks on power facilities.
Dr. Rania Elsayegh of Sudan’s Doctors for Human Rights highlighted the dire circumstances, noting that many individuals have resorted to drinking contaminated water. Severe overcrowding in displacement centers poses further risks for rapid contagion among the affected populations. The country’s healthcare system is in disarray, with over 80% of hospitals non-operational and the remaining facilities experiencing critical shortages.
Cholera itself is categorized as a “disease of poverty” by the World Health Organization, spreading largely in areas with inadequate sanitation and contaminated water supplies. The bacterial infection, which arises from the Vibrio cholerae bacterium, can be fatal within hours without proper treatment, although it is generally manageable with appropriate medical intervention. Vaccination efforts are hampered due to dwindling reserves in global stocks as epidemics have surged since 2021.
The root causes of this outbreak lie in Sudan’s turbulent civil conflict, which erupted in April 2023, resulting in over 24,000 deaths and the displacement of more than 14 million people. The situation is exacerbated by famine in various regions, particularly the devastated Darfur area. Additionally, the U.N. has called attention to serious human rights violations and crimes against humanity occurring amidst the strife.
Cholera is not an unfamiliar presence in Sudan, with previous outbreaks recorded—in 2017, for instance, the disease left over 700 dead and more than 22,000 infected in just two months. The ongoing conflict has set the stage for repeated health crises, with outbreaks previously reported in several provinces. Over the past week, other diseases have emerged, including a dengue outbreak impacting nearly 13,000 individuals and meningitis claiming at least 12 lives, as reported by the Health Ministry.
Sudan currently faces a grave public health crisis amid a cholera outbreak that has already resulted in numerous fatalities and thousands of infections. The deteriorating conditions, aggravated by ongoing conflict, lack of clean water, and crumbling healthcare infrastructure, threaten to escalate the epidemic further. Addressing these challenges requires immediate action to improve health resources and ensure access to safe water and sanitation facilities. The situation is critical and must be prioritized urgently.
Original Source: www.newsday.com
