JamzNG Latest News, Gist, Entertainment in Nigeria
“Cholera returns and affects several statesespecially in the western part of the country, Darfur and Kordofan,” said Dr Shible Sahbani, UN World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to Sudan.
Briefing journalists in Geneva, the official reported more than 1,330 confirmed cases and 114 deaths from the disease, which is preventable but can be deadly if not treated quickly.
Why this is important
- 114 deaths have been confirmed from the highly contagious cholera so far
- Conflict still hinders health services and life-saving aid
- The rainy season will likely worsen the outbreak
- Millions of people are still displaced and extremely vulnerable
The actual death toll is probably much higher and aid agencies are deeply concerned that the disease could spread to the hundreds of thousands of people fleeing cities and rural areas in North Kordofan.
The central state of Sudan is at the center of fighting between former allies the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Susceptible to disease
The death rate from cholera is already “very high” at 13.7 percent and is expected to worsen when the next rainy season arrives, Dr Sahbani explained.
Sudan is the country with the world’s largest humanitarian crisis with more than 33 million people in need; this includes 21 million people who need health services. Since the war broke out on April 15, 2023, at least 59,000 people have died.
Although some people have returned to states “where the situation is improving” including the capital, Khartoum, Dr Sahbani stressed that 13.4 million people are still displaced; nine million in Sudan and 4.6 million in neighboring countries. Apart from cholera, disease outbreaks include dengue fever, malaria, meningitis, hepatitis E and measles.
“We are very concerned about the spread [of cholera] to El-Obeid in North Kordofan, where access is very limited and the fragile health system is under increasing pressure,” the WHO representative said. “Health facilities there are overwhelmed and access to health services is very, very limited.”
Call for increased assistance
The agency has provided sufficient health supplies for more than 25,000 people in El-Obeid “but I admit that it is not enough”, said Dr Sahbani. On Monday, WHO sent 8.5 tons of medical supplies to Kadugli and Dilling in South Kordofan as part of an inter-agency convoy.
This is the first WHO shipment to reach Kadugli since December 2024 due to access delays.
Dr Sahbani echoed this recently appeal from UN human rights chief Volker Türk to the international community to prevent further atrocities in El-Obeid and a repeat of the mass killings in El Fasher when RSF troops entered the city last October.
“We call on partners and donors to help us access and deliver sufficient supplies and facilities to El-Obeid. But we know that the situation there is very, very bad and getting worse with the high risk of disease outbreaks, malnutrition, violence, including violence against women and children.”
