Acute diarrhoea kills 800 in Sudan

October 14, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – An Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) outbreak in Sudan has killed 800 people since a year ago, according to the latest update from WHO and the Sudanese ministry of health.

The Sudanese government denies a cholera epidemic and insists that it is an infection spread through contaminated food, drinking water, or person-to-person as a result of poor hygiene.

According to the WHO, the Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water that is contaminated with bacterium Vibrio cholera.

” The total number of reported AWD cases across 18 states of Sudan has reached over 35,000—including 800 related deaths since August 2016,” said the UNOCHA Sudan in its latest bimonthly bulletin.

OCHA further stressed that “Active transmission of AWD is ongoing” in all the country except, in the West Kordofan and Northern states.

Supporting the government point of view, the UN agency said: “the source of infection is believed to be contaminated open water sources combined with poor sanitation and hygiene practices”.

(ST)