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18 August 2024 (Port Sudan) – Sudan’s health minister reported on Sunday a sharp increase in cholera cases, totaling 354 infections and 22 deaths, as the country grapples with conflict and a humanitarian crisis.
The surge in cases comes amid widespread disruption to health services, water sanitation and waste management due to ongoing conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim said the ministry planned to seek international assistance for vaccines and to stabilize the supply of medicines. He also pledged to work with relevant departments to ensure access to clean water and combat disease vectors.
Heba Maki, chairperson of Sudan’s Central Committee of Health Officials, warned that the suspension of disease control and health services, combined with food insecurity and forced consumption of unsafe food, creates a fertile breeding ground for epidemics.
The conflict has also severely disrupted aid efforts, with millions facing food shortages. A report by Save the Children found that 16.4 million Sudanese children face an acute hunger crisis, forcing many to consume unsafe food and increasing the risk of foodborne diseases.
Sudan’s eastern civil forces coalition has reported a particularly alarming increase in cholera cases in the Wad Haliu district of Kassala state, accusing authorities of failing to do enough to control the outbreak and hampering the work of aid groups.
The conflict in Sudan, which broke out in April this year, has displaced millions of people and severely disrupted basic services, leaving large numbers of the population at risk of disease and malnutrition.
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