Cholera cases in Sudan climb to 42,725, including 1,180 fatalities: health ministry

KHARTOUM, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) — The number of cholera cases in Sudan has climbed to 42,725, including 1,180 deaths, Sudan’s health ministry announced on Tuesday.
“The cholera epidemiological situation report revealed the recording of 253 new cases, including one death, bringing the total cases to 42,725, including 1,180 deaths in 11 states of the country,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said that most of the new cholera cases were recorded in Kassala, Gedaref, and River Nile states, which are currently hosting around 400,000 displaced persons from the eastern region of Gezira State in central Sudan.
Meanwhile, the ministry announced a drop in dengue fever infection rates, with 15 new infections recorded and no additional deaths, bringing the total to 7,250 infections and 15 deaths across eight states.
The ministry further noted a rise in malaria infection rates in Kassala state in eastern Sudan, with a decline in other states.
Sudan’s Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim officially declared a cholera outbreak in the country on Aug. 17. The ministry attributed the spread of cholera to deteriorating environmental conditions caused by the war and the use of unclean water.
Since fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in April 2023, epidemic diseases such as cholera, malaria, measles, and dengue fever have spread, leading to hundreds of deaths.
The conflict has resulted in more than 27,120 deaths and displaced over 14 million people, both within Sudan and across its borders, according to estimates by international organizations. ■