Cholera outbreak in Sudan affects 113,600+, kills 3000+
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Sudan battles its worst cholera outbreak as war, malnutrition, and collapsing healthcare deepen the crisis.
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A Sudanese girl receives an oral cholera vaccine during a 10-day vaccination campaign conducted by health ministry workers in Khartoum, Sudan, on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025 (AP)
Sudan is grappling with its most severe cholera outbreak in decades, as more than 113,600 infections and over 3,000 deaths have been recorded since July 2024, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The case fatality rate has reached 2.7%, far above the WHO’s acceptable threshold of below 1%, underscoring the scale of the crisis.
Darfur has emerged as the epicenter of the epidemic. By late September 2025, the region reported 12,739 cases and 358 deaths across 36 of its 64 localities. Tawila in North Darfur, home to more than half a million displaced people, accounts for 61% of regional cases, making it one of the hardest-hit areas nationwide.
Vaccination efforts underway despite delays
On September 22, health authorities launched a cholera vaccination campaign targeting 1.86 million people in six high-risk localities in South, East, and North Darfur. Deliveries of the vaccines were delayed for weeks due to insecurity and logistical challenges before finally reaching Nyala earlier this month.
"Vaccination is highly effective, but it is only one part of a comprehensive cholera response," explained Hala Khudari, WHO’s deputy representative to Sudan. She stressed the importance of surveillance, treatment access, clean water supplies, and community engagement, while warning that without peace, sustaining health services will remain an uphill battle.
Sudan’s collapsing healthcare system
The outbreak unfolds against the backdrop of a devastating conflict that erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The conflict has decimated Sudan’s already fragile healthcare system.
70–80% of facilities in conflict zones are either destroyed, non-operational, or overwhelmed. In Khartoum State, once the backbone of national healthcare, many hospitals have been destroyed or converted for military use.
At least 108 attacks on healthcare facilities and the killing of over 120 health workers have been documented since the fighting began. Additionally, patients often share beds or lie untreated on hospital floors, while medical staff struggle with shortages of medicine, clean water, and fuel for generators.
Multiple disease outbreaks exacerbate the crisis
Beyond cholera, Sudan faces an array of overlapping health emergencies. Foremost, there is rampant malnutrition, where nearly 4 million children under five are acutely malnourished, including 770,000 at risk of death from severe acute malnutrition.
Meanwhile, over 1.2 million cases of Malaria have been reported this year alone, with mosquito density reaching epidemic levels.
The WHO has established 12 cholera treatment units and 44 oral rehydration points across Sudan. However, the response remains severely underfunded. Of the $50 million needed to sustain the cholera operation, only 16% has been secured, leaving aid agencies warning that medical supplies will soon run out.
