The United Nations has raised the alarm after cholera cases in Sudan surged by nearly 40% in less than two weeks.
Sudan’s health ministry reported Monday that there are now 21,288 cases of cholera across 11 of the country’s 18 states, with 626 deaths.
This is a sharp rise from the 15,577 cases and 506 deaths reported as of Sept. 26, with the majority of the cases concentrated in eastern states.
Cholera is a highly contagious disease that causes severe diarrhea and dehydration, and it can be fatal if untreated.
People celebrate in a street in Gadaref on Sept. 28, 2024, following reports of advancement by the Sudanese army. Cholera cases in war-torn Sudan have increased by nearly 40% in less than two weeks.
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It is usually spread through contaminated food or water, according to the WHO.
Kassala is currently the hardest-hit region, where UNICEF is working alongside the Sudanese health ministry and the World Health Organization (WHO) to carry out a second round of oral cholera vaccinations.
The campaign began last month in an effort to curb the spread of the disease.
“There’s no doubt that the number of cases is increasing rather rapidly,” said Richard Brennan, regional emergency director at WHO.
“We’re seeing a faster rate of spread than we did during the outbreak last year, so the number of cases is concerning. That’s why together with the Ministry of Health and partners like UNICEF, we’re redoubling our efforts here.”
The cholera outbreak was officially declared on Aug. 12, after a new wave of cases emerged on July 22.
The spread has been exacerbated by recent heavy rain and flooding, particularly in eastern Sudan, which is home to millions displaced by the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
UNICEF delivered 404,000 doses of the cholera vaccine to Sudan on Sept. 9, with additional vaccination campaigns planned for other affected states.
On Saturday, a UNICEF-chartered plane arrived with 1.4 million more doses of oral cholera vaccines, with the goal of reaching 1.81 million people in the hardest-hit states, including Kassala, River Nile, and Gedaref.
Brennan indicated that it is still too early to gauge the effectiveness of the vaccination campaign, which is in its initial stages.
He added that health workers are ramping up surveillance efforts to identify new cases, and there are plans to distribute an additional 2.2 million vaccine doses in the coming weeks.
“Cholera vaccines in and of themselves are not a silver bullet for cholera,” Brennan said.
“They’re a very useful tool, but we still need to continue with all the other disease control measures, such as surveillance, treatment of patients, community engagement, and, crucially, providing access to clean water and sanitation.”
Sudan’s health care system is in “freefall,” with 75% of health facilities in Khartoum nonfunctional, according to Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean.
She noted that conditions in the western Darfur states are even more dire.
Sudan has been embroiled in an ongoing conflict since April 2023, when fighting broke out between the Sudanese military and the RSF in the capital, Khartoum.
The violence has since spread to other parts of the country, with Darfur experiencing some of the worst of the fighting.
The United Nations estimates that around 20,000 people have been killed and thousands more injured since the conflict began.
Over 10 million people have been displaced, including 2.4 million who have fled to neighboring countries and beyond.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
