Cholera outbreak surges in Sudan’s White Nile state, hospitals overwhelmed
The Sudan Doctors Network reported that 1,197 cholera cases, including 83 related deaths, were recorded in White Nile state over just two days.
In a statement, the independent medical network emphasised “the catastrophic health situation” due to the spread of the epidemic, calling for more health centres due to overcrowding in hospitals and the lack of beds for patients due to the increasing number of cases.
Earlier, Doctors Without Borders said over 800 people were hospitalised and dozens died since Wednesday from the waterborne infection in the city of Kosti.
UNICEF also warned that the cholera outbreak poses a severe threat to children and their families.
The shutdown of key water treatment facilities has reportedly worsened the situation, further exacerbated by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) bombing of the Um Dabakir power station on February 16, which disrupted electricity supplies in Kosti and across the White Nile region.
According to the latest figures from Sudan’s Health Ministry, the total number of cholera cases in the country has reached 53,735, with 1,430 deaths since the outbreak in August 2024.
Cholera is a highly contagious disease that causes diarrhea leading to severe dehydration and can be fatal if not immediately treated, according to the World Health Organization. It is transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated food or water.
Sudan was plunged into chaos in April 2023 when simmering tensions between the military and the Rapid Support Forces exploded into open warfare across the country.
The fighting, which wrecked the capital, Khartoum, and other urban areas, has been marked by atrocities including mass rape and ethnically motivated killings, which amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, especially in the western region of Darfur, according to the United Nations and international rights groups.
The war in Sudan has killed more than 24,000 people and driven over 14 million people—about 30% of the population—from their homes, according to the U.N. An estimated 3.2 million Sudanese have escaped to neighbouring countries.
