“Really Bad” Cholera Outbreak Hits Sudan With 1000 Cases Recorded Daily As Dead Bodies Rot In The Nile

Source: Africa Publicity

Health officials say Sudan is experiencing a really bad cholera outbreak, with at least 1000 new cases being recorded daily as dead bodies of human beings rot in the River Nile.

According to health officials, the cholera outbreak is mainly in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. But cases have also been reported in Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman.

The outbreak is being recorded as thousands of Sudanese who fled the war return home after the Sudan’s army recaptured Khartoum. Khartoum was under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group that has been fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) since April 2023.

A volunteer simply named as Badawi, was quoted by Aljazeera as saying that “In areas south of the Nile in Omdurman, there are a lot of corpses rotting next to [or in] the Nile, and this has [partially] caused the spread of infection”, apparently contributing to the cholera outbreak.

Nicholas Jean, the Head of Doctors Without Borders (also known as Medecins Sans Frontières) mission in Sudan, says Khartoum was recording over 1000 cases daily.

According to him, lack of clean water, poor  hygiene, and lack of access to health care are to blame for the increase in the spread of the cholera.

Late in March this year, the Sudanese army recaptured Khartoum. Following the recapture, an estimated 34,000 Sudanese have returned but due to the damage caused to infrastructure and water systems, many residents are finding it difficult to access clean water.

And health officials are worried the cholera could spread to more people as many individuals are packed into displacement camps making it difficult to isolate those infected.

According to UNICEF, clean water is difficult to find in the Khartoum region in part because attacks on power plants have disrupted electricity supply and worsened water shortages.

Dr. Sayed Mohamed Abdullah of the Sudan’s Doctors Union, says Sudan’s health system has broken down and that over 80 percent of hospitals in the country are out of service.

He says the fewer hospitals that are operating have shortages of water, electricity and medication.

Since the war began in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and RSF, some 24,000 people have reportedly been killed.

Over 14 million people, according to officials, have been displaced. At least four million people have fled to neighboring countries to seek refuge.