WHO Warns of Alarming Cholera Surge in War-Torn Darfur

Cholera Crisis Deepens in Sudan's Darfur Region

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an urgent warning about the rapidly escalating cholera outbreak in Sudan's Darfur region, where more than 12,000 people have been infected and over 350 have died from the waterborne disease. The outbreak, which reached Darfur in May, has now spread to at least half of the region, creating what health officials describe as a catastrophic humanitarian situation.

Vaccination Campaign Faces Major Challenges

WHO representative Hala Khudari confirmed that the UN organization has launched a vaccination program targeting nearly 2 million people in the hardest-hit areas of Darfur. 'The biggest challenge of the campaign is getting the vaccines actually there,' Khudari stated, highlighting weeks of preparation and significant obstacles related to access, transport, and logistics in the conflict-ridden region.

The mortality rate in some parts of West Darfur has reached 11.8 percent—far exceeding the WHO's target of 1 percent. Cholera has now spread to all eighteen states of Sudan, with more than 3,000 deaths recorded over the past 14 months.

Civil War Exacerbates Health Crisis

The ongoing civil war between the Sudanese government army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rebellion group, which began in April 2023, has created what the UN calls the world's largest humanitarian crisis. The conflict has claimed at least 40,000 lives and displaced up to 12 million people, severely disrupting healthcare infrastructure and access to clean water.

Fighting in El-Fasher, the only city in North Darfur still under government control, has intensified recently, making many routes unsafe for humanitarian organizations attempting to deliver medicines, clean drinking water, and food to the population.

Cholera: A Preventable Disease in Impossible Conditions

Cholera is an intestinal infection caused by contaminated water, with severe diarrhea as its primary symptom. While easily preventable and treatable with access to clean water, proper sanitation, and medical care, these basic necessities are scarce in Darfur. The massive displacement of people has accelerated the disease's spread through both refugee camps and residential communities.

Doctors Without Borders frequently observes 'a deadly combination of cholera and malnutrition,' while the International Committee of the Red Cross describes this as the worst cholera outbreak in years. The IPC, the UN's food monitoring agency, officially declared famine in several parts of Sudan last year.

According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, 'Together, we aim to vaccinate 1.86 million people to protect them and end the outbreak. We call for sustained and safe access for the campaign to be successful.'