Cholera Outbreak in Sudan Claims 172 Lives Amid Civil War Crisis
A cholera outbreak in Sudan has killed 172 people and sickened over 2,500 in a week, centered in Khartoum and Omdurman amidst a civil war. Poor sanitation and lack of clean water amid ongoing conflict worsen the situation, raising concerns of rapid spread as many return to damaged homes. Other diseases, including dengue and meningitis, further complicate the public health crisis.
CAIRO — A severe cholera outbreak in Sudan has tragically taken the lives of 172 individuals, with more than 2,500 reported cases emerging just in the last week. The crisis is primarily concentrated around the capital, Khartoum, and its twin city, Omdurman. Here, many residents—returning amid ongoing conflict—are struggling to find clean water, which is vital for preventing the disease, due to the significant damage to health and sanitation systems caused by the civil war.
The Health Ministry confirmed that the situation has escalated dramatically, with daily reported cholera cases spiking from 90 to 815 between May 15 and May 25. This has raised the total number of diagnosed cases since January to over 7,700, disproportionately affecting children, particularly those under four years of age. Although the outbreak’s epicenter remains Khartoum and Omdurman, the disease has also been detected in five adjacent provinces, indicating a worrying trend, according to officials.
Joyce Bakker, who coordinates efforts for Doctors Without Borders in Sudan, highlighted the grave conditions in Omdurman’s treatment centers, stating, “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.”
The cholera outbreak is interwoven with the humanitarian disaster triggered by the ongoing civil war, which began in April 2023. Following intense fighting, the military regained control over Khartoum, prompting approximately 34,000 displaced individuals to return to the city. Many are finding their homes in ruins and face a dire shortage of clean water, exacerbated by damaged electricity and sanitation infrastructures.
Dr. Rania Elsayegh from Sudan’s Doctors for Human Rights expressed concern over residents’ reliance on unsafe drinking water, transferring it into unsanitary containers. Packaged together with limited medical resources, the overcrowded displacement centers have made isolating infected individuals practically impossible, raising alarms about the rapid spread of the disease. Meanwhile, 80% of hospitals in the area remain out of operation, amplifying the nightmare for health workers.
Cholera, described as a “disease of poverty” by the World Health Organization, thrives in environments with poor sanitation and contaminated water. This diarrheal disease arises from ingesting food or water tainted with the Vibrio cholerae bacterium. While treatable with rehydration and antibiotics, its untreated severe cases can lead to death within hours. The WHO’s oral cholera vaccine supply has dwindled below 5 million doses, posing challenges to outbreak management globally, particularly as cholera incidents increase due to factors like poverty, war, and climate-related disasters.
Sudan has a troubling history with cholera outbreaks, as the conditions for the disease were present even before the current civil conflict. For instance, a devastating outbreak in 2017 resulted in at least 700 deaths and 22,000 illnesses. Most recently, between late 2022 and early 2023, outbreaks continued to plague the nation, infecting thousands and resulting in significant mortality, predominantly in vulnerable populations.
Moreover, the situation in Sudan is worsened by a resurgence of other diseases, including dengue fever, which has recently affected about 12,900 people and led to at least 20 deaths. The Health Ministry is also dealing with a meningitis outbreak, reportedly causing a dozen fatalities.
As the cholera outbreak unfolds amid the chaos, experts warn that without urgent humanitarian support, the situation could escalate further, threatening more lives and compounding an already dire public health crisis.
In summary, Sudan is facing a grave cholera outbreak that has already led to 172 fatalities and over 2,500 new cases in just one week. The ongoing civil war has disrupted vital health and sanitation infrastructure, exacerbating the crisis. As people return to their homes amid the destruction, the challenge of securing clean water remains urgent, and health officials fear the disease’s rapid spread. The situation is compounded by outbreaks of other illnesses, highlighting the need for immediate humanitarian efforts to address this emerging health catastrophe in Sudan.
Original Source: www.newsday.com
