Sudan cholera cases top 15,000 with 506 deaths – health ministry

September 26, 2024 (KASSALA) – The number of cholera cases in Sudan has surpassed 15,000 with 506 deaths, the health ministry said on Thursday, as the country battles an outbreak following devastating floods.

The ministry’s emergency operations centre said 268 new cases had been recorded, totalling 15,577. Four new deaths were also reported.

The outbreak began in August after heavy rains and flooding swept across large swathes of the country, creating stagnant water that has become a breeding ground for disease.

The worst-hit area is Gedaref state in eastern Sudan, where the number of cases has risen to 570, including 50 deaths, according to medical sources.

The Al-Faw hospital in Gedaref has received 50 new cases, of which nine people died, the sources said. The number of patients in isolation centres in the state has reached 57.

The executive director of Al-Faw locality, Osman Abdallah, said local authorities are implementing preventive and treatment programmes, including distributing chlorine to water sources and establishing isolation centres.

In Kassala state, the total number of cases has risen to 4,025, including 96 deaths, the health ministry said.

In Al-Dabbah locality in Northern State, 155 new cases were recorded, bringing the total to 899, including 20 deaths. Local authorities have closed markets, food outlets and schools in an attempt to curb the spread of the disease.