UNITED NATIONS: Rhino – The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have warned of the challenge posed by a second deadly cholera outbreak in war-torn Sudan since April 2023.

At a press conference of UN agencies in Geneva, WHO’s representative in Sudan, Dr Shibel Sahbani, reported 658 cases of cholera since the latest outbreak was declared on August 12th, with 28 deaths. The last cholera outbreak in May saw more than 11,300 cases and at least 300 deaths.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned in its latest Sudan situation report that at least 12 of Sudan’s 18 states are now facing three or more cholera outbreaks in addition to malaria, measles and dengue fever.

Local resources and capacities to detect and respond to outbreaks remain limited, especially in hard-to-reach areas such as Darfur and Kordofan states, the organization said.

Many cases in Kassala:

‘The needs are huge in Sudan,’ Christine Hambrook, UNHCR’s representative in Sudan, told reporters in Geneva. ‘We are talking about people dying of hunger. We have conflict, protection issues and daily displacement. The needs are so huge,’ she said, after several weeks of heavy rains.

Hambrook warned of a cholera outbreak in areas hosting internally displaced people displaced by violence and those coming from other countries, especially the states of Kassala, Gedaref and Gezira.

‘We have seen very high numbers of cholera cases in Kassala,’ she said. ‘Kassala is an important area for us, it hosts a large number of refugees, but also internally displaced people. So far, we have 119 cholera cases in three refugee sites in Kassala. Five refugees have unfortunately died from the disease.’

She pointed out that this is just one challenge on top of others, noting that people in refugee camps and displacement sites are living on top of each other and that these sites are severely overcrowded due to the movement of Sudanese and refugees from Khartoum, Wad Madani and Darfur to Kassala.

‘All these areas have become very overcrowded, and the water systems that were in place can’t respond (to the needs), they really need huge investments,’ Hambrook said.

A vaccination campaign:

The World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Sudan, speaking via video link from Port Sudan, reported that the initial vaccination campaign has successfully protected more than 50,000 people from cholera, with 51,000 doses already in the country having been used and hundreds of thousands more on the way.

The vaccination campaign ended in Kassala state on Thursday, Sahbani said, adding that ‘we aimed to reach 97% of the target population’. The organization also received approval to purchase an additional 455,000 doses of the cholera vaccine, he said, calling it ‘good news in the midst of this terrible crises.

But he noted that they are still facing some obstacles and challenges, either due to miscommunication between decision makers and those on the ground, or other issues, as well as challenges caused by flooding and road quality.

A step in the right direction:

At the same press conference, OCHA spokesperson Yannes Larcher said the 15 trucks that crossed into Sudan from Chad via the Adré crossing earlier this week were ‘a step in the right direction.’ However, he stressed the importance of ensuring that aid trucks continue to cross there ‘to ensure a steady flow of food, nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene and emergency medical supplies to people in 12 vulnerable areas.

But he emphasized the importance of ensuring that aid trucks continue to cross there and ‘secure a steady flow of food, nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene and emergency medical supplies for people in more than 12 areas at risk of famine’. Larcher noted that vital agricultural supplies, including seeds, are among the supplies being transported to Darfur.

‘This is an important point, because the Sudanese need to plant before the rainy season ends,’ he said. ‘Boosting food production in Sudan is one of the most effective ways to address the overwhelming hunger crisis, which is worsening after more than 16 months of conflict.

The UN official emphasized that they are continuing to liaise with the Sudanese authorities to ensure the continuity and expansion of deliveries to Sudan, adding that ‘this is critical to meet the most urgent needs of people at the height of the rainy and dry seasons in Darfur.’