Cholera outbreak surges in Sudan’s Kosti, leaving hospitals overwhelmed
February 22, 2025 (KOSTI) – A cholera outbreak in Kosti, White Nile State, southern Sudan, has rapidly escalated, with cases reaching 1,409 within three days, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.
The surge has overwhelmed Kosti’s main hospital, forcing residents to bring beds from home for patients admitted in the hospital’s courtyard, while others lay on the ground due to overcrowded wards. Concerns are growing that the situation could spiral out of control.
The Health Ministry, in a statement received by Sudan Tribune, reported 1,351 cholera cases in Kosti, with deaths rising to 58 within three days.
The Sudan Doctors Network, however, provided a different statistic, stating that the death toll reached 83, with 1,197 cases, of whom 259 have recovered.
The network described the situation in the state as “catastrophic,” urging health authorities to open additional treatment centres, provide more beds due to increasing infections, intensify awareness campaigns, disinfect markets, and prevent water distribution through traditional methods.
Authorities have banned donkey carts from transporting water from the White Nile, which was previously the sole source of supply for residents before the main water station was reactivated.
The Federal Ministry of Health revealed immediate response interventions, including reactivating Kosti’s main water supply, implementing a vaccination campaign, securing 40,000 units of intravenous fluids, and increasing the capacity of the isolation centre.
The ministry announced the activation of the Public Health Emergency Law, closing markets, schools, and shops, implementing environmental sanitation campaigns, and enforcing health precautions and requirements.
The Health Ministry attributed the cholera outbreak in Kosti to contaminated drinking water after the city’s main water station stopped operating due to a Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attack on the Um Dabaker power station.
On February 16, the RSF shelled the Um Dabaker power substation, destroying one transformer and damaging another, impacting the electricity supply to Kosti and the rest of White Nile State.
Activists shared images on social media depicting dire conditions at Kosti Hospital, showing patients lying on the ground under the scorching sun, with patients’ clothes and intravenous solutions scattered throughout the medical facility.