Cholera Outbreak Spreads Among Displaced People in Eastern Sudan

Cholera patients in Al Dabbah of Northern state on September 23, 2024

November 13, 2024 (AL FAW) – A cholera outbreak is spreading rapidly among people displaced from the town of Tambool in Al Jazirah state to Al Faw locality in eastern Sudan’s Gedaref state amid a critical shortage of intravenous fluids.

Hundreds of thousands have fled eastern and northern Al Jazirah state following a wave of brutal attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), including mass killings, sexual violence against women and girls, and forced displacement.

Medical sources told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday that cholera has swept through displacement camps in Al Faw, sheltering those fleeing Tambool. Forty-four cases were reported in the Harrira camp and 23 in the Al Bawadra camp.

Sources revealed that two displaced people have died, and 93 others have been infected with cholera. They were transferred to the isolation centre at Al Faw Teaching Hospital, which currently treats 153 cases, with 41 patients recovered.

On Wednesday, 25 residents of Al Faw were also diagnosed with cholera, according to sources.

The Director of Health Affairs in Al Faw locality, Dafa Allah Mohamed Ahmed, attributed the resurgence of cholera to the influx of infected displaced people from Al Jazirah state.

“Recent displacement has increased the number of displaced people in Al Faw to 75,000,” he said. “They reside in three shelters within the city and two centres on the Gedaref-Kassala-Port Sudan highway.”

Al Faw’s original population of 30,000 severely strained resources. Ahmed highlighted a critical shortage of drinking water, food, and other services. The health department is responding to the outbreak with three mobile clinics and cholera vaccination campaigns.

He noted that women, children, and the elderly account for 80% of cholera cases and called on organizations to intervene and address the shortage of intravenous fluids and medical supplies.

According to the Ministry of Health, Sudan has recorded 34,108 cholera cases, including 979 deaths, across 80 localities in 11 states since the outbreak began less than four months ago.