Rhino: Agencies – More than three million children are at risk of cholera and other deadly diseases in Sudan, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
The Sudanese Ministry of Health officially declared a cholera outbreak after a new wave was reported, with 8,457 cases and 299 deaths reported in eight states in Sudan, the UN organization said in a statement.
With heavy rains and flooding, diseases can spread more quickly and worsen the living situation of children in the affected states and beyond, said Sheldon Yeat, UNICEF’s representative in Sudan.
He noted that Sudan is suffering from outbreaks of several diseases including cholera, malaria, dengue fever, measles and rubella.
He added that it is estimated that 3.4 million children under the age of five are at risk of contracting epidemic diseases. The crises stem from the significant decrease in immunization rates and the destruction of health, water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure as a result of the ongoing conflict, and the deterioration of the nutritional status of many children in Sudan puts children at greater risk.