Sudan’s children face deadly disease surge amid war and collapse

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
17 Jul 2025 13:12
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As conflict rages, Sudan’s vaccination rates have plummeted, putting thousands of children at risk in overcrowded camps with no access to basic healthcare.

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FILE - Children sit and play on the remains of a tank at the river port in Renk, South Sudan, on May 17, 2023. (AP)

Children across Sudan are facing a dramatic rise in the threat of preventable, deadly diseases as routine vaccination coverage has collapsed by nearly half amid the country’s escalating war. According to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO), Sudan now holds the lowest vaccination coverage globally.

In 2022, over 90% of Sudanese children received routine childhood vaccinations. Today, that number has plummeted to just 48%, a decline driven almost entirely by the ongoing war, according to UNICEF.

“This plummeting coverage is driven entirely by the war,” said Dr. Tedbabe Degefie Hailegebriel, UNICEF’s Chief of Health in Sudan. “Misinformation and vaccine hesitancy are not the problem here.”

A war-torn health system leaves children unprotected

Since war erupted more than two years ago, tens of thousands have been killed and millions displaced, in what aid agencies are calling the largest humanitarian crisis on record. The International Rescue Committee has described Sudan’s situation as “the biggest humanitarian crisis ever recorded.”

In 2023 alone, 838,000 children in Sudan received no vaccinations at all, placing the country third globally in “zero-dose” children, surpassed only by Nigeria and India.

One of the clearest indicators of the collapse is the decline in children receiving the DTP-1 vaccine, which protects against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. “Missing this dose means a child, and likely their parents too, have almost no contact with the healthcare system,” Hailegebriel said.

Infrastructure in ruins, health workers unpaid

The war has devastated Sudan’s healthcare infrastructure. Hospitals and clinics have been looted or destroyed, supply routes cut off, and health information systems obliterated. “Doctors, nurses, midwives, and volunteers haven’t been paid in months,” Hailegebriel noted. “Basic infrastructure like clean water and electricity in health facilities is completely wiped out.”

Children living in displacement camps and makeshift shelters are especially vulnerable, as disease outbreaks often spread rapidly in overcrowded, unsanitary environments. “When that is coupled with an already vulnerable child who is not vaccinated, the vulnerability is multiplied,” she said.

Diseases like measles are particularly dangerous, not only killing young children but also causing lifelong complications for those who survive. “These are children who are being robbed of their future,” Hailegebriel added.

Global concerns as immunization falters in crisis zones

The WHO has warned that children in 26 war-affected countries are three times more likely to miss out on vaccinations than those in stable regions.

Dr. Kate O’Brien, WHO’s Director of Immunisation, said signs of decline in global vaccine coverage are emerging even in countries not affected by war. “Even the smallest drops can open the door to deadly disease outbreaks and put extra strain on already fragile health systems,” she said.

Though misinformation and disinformation were not key factors in Sudan’s current decline, O’Brien cautioned that they are increasing threats globally, especially as foreign aid budgets shrink.

Fragile gains, renewed urgency

Despite immense obstacles, humanitarian agencies made some progress earlier this year. UNICEF has managed to ship specialized containers to restore parts of Sudan’s cold chain system, vital for preserving vaccines. But recurring violence continues to halt deliveries in areas of active fighting.

“In those areas, we cannot deliver,” Hailegebriel said. “But once the situation stabilizes, we go in again.” She described the repeated loss of medical infrastructure as “unspeakable”, a constant cycle of destruction and rebuilding.

“The situation of Sudan has not received the world’s attention it deserves,” she said. “It is our hope that this will change, and that hostilities will stop so that children get the peaceful environment they need to live and thrive.”

On the ground: Vaccinations no longer a priority

In regions like El Fasher, the crisis is deepening. Abdallah Idriss Abugarda, head of the Darfur Diaspora Association in the UK, said families are struggling to meet their most basic needs.

“It’s not a priority to them,” he told reporters. “They want food delivered, and medicine for malaria and fever for their children.”

As the international community turns its gaze elsewhere, Sudan’s children are left exposed, not just to war, but to the silent killers of preventable disease.