Cholera Outbreak In Sudan Killed At Least 22: Health Minister (image:www.who.int/)

Sudan’s Health minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim said in a statement on Sunday that at least 22 people have died from the Cholera outbreak. ln recent weeks, at least 354 confirmed cases of cholera have been detected across the war-torn country, he added.

On Saturday, he declared Cholera epidemic in Sudan, attributing the outbreak to “weather conditions and contaminated drinking water.”

The Health minister did not provide a specific time frame for the deaths or the total count since the beginning of the year. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that as of July 28, Cholera had caused 78 deaths in Sudan and sickened over 2,400 people between January 1 and July 28.

Cholera is not uncommon in Sudan. A previous major outbreak left at least 700 dead and sickened about 22,000 in less than two months in 2017.

Recent devastating seasonal floods have worsened the crisis in Sudan. Local authorities report that dozens of people have been killed, and critical infrastructure has been destroyed across 12 of the country’s 18 provinces. The United Nations’ migration agency estimates that around 118,000 people have been displaced due to the floods.

Cholera is a fast-developing, highly contagious infection that causes diarrhea, leading to severe dehydration and possible death within hours when not treated, according to the WHO. Cholera remains a global threat to public health and an indicator of inequity and lack of social development. Children under five are at particular risk.

(Sana Zubair has produced this article as part of a Timeline Internship Programme)