Key facts
- Sudan's cholera outbreak, declared June 27, has infected over 1,300 people and caused 114 deaths.
- The World Health Organization warns the outbreak may worsen due to ongoing conflict and the rainy season.
- The case fatality rate for the outbreak is 13.7%.
- The outbreak is spreading in Darfur and Kordofan, where humanitarian access is difficult.
- Health facilities in al-Obeid are overwhelmed amid intensifying fighting.
The World Health Organization has warned that Sudan's cholera outbreak, declared on June 27, is likely to worsen due to the ongoing conflict, displacement of people, and the onset of the rainy season. The outbreak has already resulted in at least 114 deaths and over 1,300 infections across several Sudanese states, particularly in Darfur and Kordofan.
Shible Sahbani, the WHO representative in Sudan, stated that the case fatality rate is currently 13.7%, which is considered extremely high. He expressed particular concern for the city of al-Obeid in North Kordofan, where health facilities are overwhelmed and humanitarian access is severely limited due to intensifying fighting between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Sahbani warned that the situation in al-Obeid risks becoming a humanitarian catastrophe, potentially worse than what was seen in al-Fashir.
Cholera is a severe diarrheal disease that spreads rapidly when sanitation and water treatment are inadequate. Sudan is currently facing the world's largest humanitarian emergency, with over 33 million people needing assistance and 21 million requiring health services, according to the WHO.