Cholera outbreak affects over 10,000 in Sudan as a result of conflict
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Sudan's Health Minister Mohammed Ibrahim confirms that although a vaccination campaign against cholera was launched last November and December, due to security problems, the outbreak of the disease could not be contained.
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People board a truck as they leave Khartoum, Sudan, on June 19, 2023. (AP)
Sudan's Health Minister Mohammed Ibrahim confirmed that over 10,000 cholera cases have 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 10-month civil war in Sudan.
Read next: UN report exposes abuse, attacks on civilians by Sudan warring parties
Spokesperson James Elder, who just came back from Sudan, informed reporters in Geneva, "The consequences of the past 300 days means that more than 700,000 children are likely to suffer from the deadliest form of malnutrition this year," stressing, "We won't be able to treat more than 300,000 of them without improved access and additional support," concluding that "Tens of thousands will likely die."
Highlighting that only in a year, murders, sexual violence, and child involvement in fights have increased by 500 percent, he stated, "That equates to terrifying numbers of children killed, raped or recruited. And these numbers are the tip of the iceberg," urging a ceasefire, and more aid.
The UN has sounded a dire warning, stating that hunger and displacement in Sudan are spiraling out of control, with over 6 million people on the brink of famine. Since the conflict erupted in mid-April 2023 over a power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, more than 12,190 lives have been lost, and thousands have been wounded.
