Sudan, serious cholera epidemic after heavy rains hit displaced camps

ROMA – Thousands of girls and boys in eastern Sudan are at risk of cholera following a major outbreak caused by widespread flooding, contaminated water and a decimated health system after 16 months of conflict, the agency warned. Save the Children. Nearly 2,900 cholera cases and 112 deaths were reported between July 22 and early September; Sudan’s Ministry of Health officially declared an outbreak on August 12. However, the actual numbers may be higher, as limited access to health facilities and delays in reporting by communities are leading to significant under-reporting, according to the latest report from the Sudan Health Cluster – in which the United Nations, the Federal Ministry of Health and some NGOs collaborate, including Save the Children.

The epidemic surge is not over. In El Damer, in the River Nile State, and in Gedarif, in the State of Gedarif, the operators of Save the Children are reporting a sharp increase in cholera cases among children under five, who account for nearly 15 percent of confirmed cases and deaths across the country. The cholera surge has not yet ended, as fighting that began in April last year has devastated the country’s health and sanitation systems. Cholera spreads rapidly due to inadequate sewage treatment, flooding and unsafe drinking water, conditions that have been exacerbated by incessant rains that have hit much of the country over the past three months.

Already 173 victims and 505 injured during the rains. Floods have already killed at least 173 people and injured 505 since June, according to the National Council for Civil Defense. The rains also caused the Arbaat Dam in Red Sea State to collapse on August 24, which is the main source of drinking water for the coastal city of Port Sudan, a vital humanitarian hub. Heavy rains and flooding have also displaced 4,300 people from displacement camps in North Darfur State, including Zamzam camp, where famine was recently declared. The floods have destroyed around 900 tents and washed away latrines inside the camps, disrupting humanitarian work.

Children go from one horror to another. With more than 25.6 million people across the country in need of aid, the crisis has exacerbated food shortages, putting children at risk of malnutrition. “Children in Sudan,” says Mohamed Abdiladif, interim country director of Save the Children in Sudan – have gone from one horror to another. Even before the conflict broke out last year, the country was already experiencing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with localised fighting, natural disasters, disease and economic crises leaving 15.8 million people in need. Now 25.6 million people need help, and with diseases like cholera that number will only increase. Conflicts are not just immediate violence, but also a slow but deadly trickle of other serious threats to children’s lives, such as malnutrition and disease. We are working,” he added, “to ensure access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene promotion to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases like cholera in conflict-affected areas.”