UNITED NATIONS, Sep 26 (IPS) – Sudan has been hit by a deadly cholera outbreak in the midst of Sudan’s civil war. Sudan is currently home to around 15 million people, many of whom have borne the brunt of hostilities between warring parties, widespread food insecurity, mass displacement and extreme weather events. Flooding in particular has been particularly damaging, leading to the collapse of critical infrastructure that ensures sanitation, making the cholera outbreak a national concern.
On August 12, Sudan’s Federal Ministry of Health officially declared a cholera outbreak. This is the second cholera outbreak observed in Sudan since the war began sixteen months ago.
Between July 22 and September 15, there have been approximately 8,457 cases of infections. Sudan’s Ministry of Health reports that approximately 430 people have been killed by cholera in the past month alone, highlighting a rapid increase in infection rates.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), regions in Sudan where mainly reception centres for displaced people are located have been hit hardest by the outbreak.
Due to severe overcrowding and exposure to polluted water from flooding, the spread of disease has increased.
“The recent cholera outbreak has flared up again following weeks of heavy rains and resulting flooding. The risks are exacerbated by the ongoing conflict and dire humanitarian conditions, including overcrowding in camps and gathering places for refugees and Sudanese displaced by the war,” said Kristine Hambrouck, UNHCR Representative in Sudan.
Despite these efforts, there are significant access problems for medical personnel and aid workers. Ongoing warfare in cholera-affected regions has raised security concerns and severely hampered critical aid delivery routes.
Medical charity Doctors Without Borders told reporters that its current initiatives are “regularly hampered by both sides, with the humanitarian response falling far short of what is needed”. They added that armed conflict has led to the collapse of Sudan’s health system, with pregnant women and children dying at a rapid rate.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) adds that armed conflict has severely hampered vaccination efforts. Studies show that before Sudan’s civil war, about 85 percent of the population was vaccinated, but that this dropped to 50 percent after the war. Areas in conflict have an average of about 30 percent immunization.
In addition, according to Eddie Rowe, executive director of the World Food Programme (WFP), heavy rains and flooding are making it extremely difficult for trucks carrying aid to pass through the Tina crossing at the Chadian border. The Tina crossing is the direct route to Darfur, one of Sudan’s most vulnerable regions.
The United Nations (UN) is currently on the frontline in hard-hit areas, providing life-saving medical assistance and essential supplies to help contain the spread. UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) are distributing oral rehydration kits and water purification tablets to help contain the spread of cholera through drinking water.
UNHCR has set up treatment facilities in Kassala to provide Sudanese with effective treatment and isolation for highly infectious patients. They are also training health workers, tracking the spread of infections, and organizing workshops and information campaigns to teach Sudanese citizens safe hygiene practices.
UNHCR estimates that around $1.5 billion will be needed to provide aid to Sudan and neighbouring areas facing similar humanitarian crises. Only 22 percent of that target has been reached so far. The UN is urging further donor contributions as infections and civilian deaths rise.
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