In brief
The International Rescue Committee alerts that Sudan is on the verge of a health crisis due to a cholera outbreak, with the death toll climbing amid power outages and deteriorating medical infrastructure caused by the ongoing civil war.
War-torn Sudan is teetering on the edge of a public health calamity, as the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has raised alarms over the alarming spread of cholera and other infectious diseases. Recently, the Health Ministry reported a grim statistic of 172 fatalities linked to cholera within a week, sparking urgent concerns among health officials. The outbreak, primarily affecting Khartoum state, is exacerbated by widespread power shortages due to ongoing drone attacks, hampering water purification efforts and forcing civilians to resort to contaminated water sources.IRC's Sudan country director, Eatizaz Yousif, emphasized that the protracted civil war, now entering its third year, is a catalyst for the resurgence of cholera. The organization pointed out that coverage for cholera vaccinations remains critically low and that essential medical supplies are dwindling. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported thousands of suspected cholera cases since mid-August, highlighting that the ongoing conflict has severely compromised the capacity of healthcare infrastructure in the region.MSF's medical coordinator in Sudan, Slaymen Ammar, noted that essential healthcare services in Khartoum are either completely unavailable or prohibitively expensive. The remaining health workers are overwhelmed, and many have fled due to the fighting. Reports show that, in just the past week, Khartoum alone witnessed up to 500 cholera cases in a single day.While many cholera patients may experience mild symptoms or none, the disease can become life-threatening, leading to severe diarrhea and requiring urgent medical interventions, such as antibiotics and intravenous fluids, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The ongoing conflict since its onset over two years ago has claimed over 150,000 lives and displaced millions, resulting in what the UN deems the worst humanitarian crisis globally.
