Several hundred more have fallen ill with the intestinal disease in a short time.
Cholera causes vomiting and diarrhea and is extremely contagious. Without treatment, the disease can lead to severe dehydration and – within hours or days – death. The World Health Organization is now working to quickly launch a vaccination campaign, they report.
The cholera outbreak is exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, which has been ravaged by a civil war between government forces and paramilitary RSF since April 2023. The conflict has turned large parts of the country into a war zone, destroyed civilian infrastructure, and severely affected the already heavily strained healthcare system.
In recent weeks, heavy flooding has further exacerbated the crisis, according to local authorities. Over the weekend, Health Minister Haitham Ibrahim announced that the cholera outbreak is being classified as an epidemic in the wake of the heavy rainfall, which has led to contaminated drinking water.
