WHO: 100,000 Cholera Cases Recorded in Sudan Since July 2024

Cholera Contained in Khartoum, Zero Deaths

Sudanese Health: Cholera Contained in Khartoum, Zero Deaths

The Undersecretary of the Sudanese Ministry of Health, Haitham Ibrahim, announced that the cholera epidemic in the capital, Khartoum, has been contained, and the death rate is zero. Ibrahim stated that cholera infection and death rates in the Darfur region, western Sudan, are witnessing a significant increase, particularly in the Tawila area, which recorded 400 cases and 30 deaths last week.

He also added that medical supplies have been delivered to seven governorates in North Darfur State. However, he added that it was not possible to conduct an airdrop of relief supplies to El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, "due to the Rapid Support Forces' siege of the city."

The Epidemic Has Spread to All States

This comes as the World Health Organization revealed last Thursday that approximately 100,000 cholera cases have been recorded in Sudan since July 2024. "The cholera epidemic has spread in Sudan, with all states reporting an outbreak," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press conference in Geneva.

 He explained that approximately 100,000 cases have been reported since July of last year. Tedros also indicated that cholera vaccination campaigns have been conducted in several states, including the capital, Khartoum.

He also warned that "the recent flooding in large parts of the country is expected to exacerbate malnutrition and fuel new outbreaks of cholera, malaria, dengue fever, and other diseases." Cholera is an acute intestinal infection spread through food and water contaminated with bacteria, often through feces. It causes severe diarrhea, vomiting, and muscle cramps. The disease can be fatal within hours if left untreated.

Millions of people across Sudan are also suffering from hunger, and the World Health Organization has warned that approximately 770,000 children under the age of five could suffer from acute malnutrition this year. Since April 2023, the country has been experiencing an outbreak of cholera.

 A war between the army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands and the displacement of millions, according to Agence France-Presse.