Suspected Cholera Cases in Sudan More than Doubled over Past Month, UN says

KHARTOUM, (Xinhua): The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Thursday said that the number of suspected cholera cases in strife-torn Sudan more than doubled over the past month.

“The number of suspected cholera cases has more than doubled over the past month and reached 5,414 cases, including 170 associated deaths as of Dec. 3,” the OCHA said in a humanitarian update, citing figures from the Sudanese Health Ministry and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The humanitarian agency added that 2.2 million people in Sudan have been covered in the oral cholera vaccine campaign co-launched last week by the ministry and WHO.

Sudan faces a deteriorating humanitarian situation since deadly clashes broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum and other areas on April 15.

About two-thirds of Sudan’s population lack access to health care, and more than 70 percent of health facilities in conflict areas are out of service, the OCHA said in November.

More than 12,000 people have been killed since the conflict, while 6.6 million people have been displaced inside and outside Sudan, according to the OCHA.