Sudan faces health crisis as cholera spreads

Sudan is on the brink of a serious health disaster as cholera and other deadly diseases spread across the country, warns aid group International Rescue Committee (IRC).

In just one week, Sudan’s Health Ministry reported 172 deaths from cholera, mostly in Khartoum state. Local doctors say drone attacks have caused power cuts at water plants, forcing people to use unsafe water.

IRC’s Sudan director Eatizaz Yousif says the ongoing civil war, now in its third year, is making cholera worse. The group also warns that cholera vaccine coverage is low and medical supplies are running out.

Doctors Without Borders reports thousands of suspected cholera cases in Khartoum since mid-April. Their coordinator Slaymen Ammar says conflict has damaged infrastructure, leaving many health facilities closed or overwhelmed, with some staff forced to flee.

In the worst recent day, 500 cholera cases were recorded in Khartoum alone. Cases have also appeared in northern and southern Sudan.

Cholera causes severe diarrhea and can be fatal without treatment like antibiotics and IV fluids, says the World Health Organization.

Sudan’s war has killed over 150,000 people and displaced millions, creating what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

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