Cholera death toll reaches 315: Sudan Health Ministry
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Sudan is suffering through simultaneously from flooding and an epidemic amid the infighting between the Army and Rapid Support Forces, with millions of displaced suffering the brunt of the war.
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Patients suffering from cholera receive treatment at a rural isolation center in Wad Al-Hilu in Kassala state in eastern Sudan, on August 17, 2024. (AFP)
The death toll from Sudan's cholera outbreak has reached 315, the Health Ministry said in a statement issued Monday, with 266 new registered cases.
Health authorities declared a cholera epidemic in the country on August 12, with the number of cases rising to 9,533 within the past month.
Sudan is also suffering from floods and heavy rainfall. The issued statement reported that 225 people had been killed across the country from the natural incidents which injured 889 others.
Over 35,794 homes have been severely damaged, while 40,781 were partially damaged from the flooding and rain since June, the statement added.
Additionally, more than 178,000 Sudanese have been displaced in 15 of the country's 18 states since June, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced Sunday.
Cholera outbreak affects over 10,000 in Sudan as a result of conflict
Sudan's Health Minister Mohammed Ibrahim confirmed back in February that over 10,000 cholera cases had been detected in Sudan as a result of the ongoing conflict.
He stated that the disease has been detected in 12 of Sudan's 18 states, with the number of cases reaching 10,800.
Although a vaccination campaign against cholera was launched last November and December, Ibrahim said that due to security problems, the outbreak of the disease could not be contained.
"We hope not to see new cases by this fall," he noted.
As a result of the conflict, 70% to 80% of hospitals are not fully operating.
This comes mere weeks after the United Nations children's agency UNICEF warned that tens of thousands of children in Sudan could die if aid is not dramatically increased, as the war is expected to leave over 700,000 children severely malnourished this year.
The agency urged the world to break its silence on the disaster triggered by the ongoing civil war in Sudan.
