There is a rapid spread of diseases amid mass displacement and a lack of healthcare access in Sudan due to the ongoing war between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, WHO warns.
Cholera has spread from three to nine of Sudan’s states in one month, with over 5,400 suspected and confirmed cases and 170 deaths, says WHO Sudan representative Dr. Mohammad Taufiq Mashal.
There have been 4,500 suspected measles cases and 104 deaths as well as over 6,000 cases of dengue and 56 related deaths, he added.
''Insecurity and bureaucratic hurdles continue to limit humanitarian access across the country’’ with the situation in Darfur “especially concerning,” the world health agency says.
Pressing ahead
Dr. Mashal revealed that WHO would continue to distribute relief supplies including in hard-to-reach areas despite access challenges.
‘’WHO is preparing to dispatch medical and diagnostic supplies to Darfur and Kordofan as part of a larger UN convoy,’’ he said.
The health agency says it is supporting 21 mobile clinics in 8 states to reach internally displaced people with primary health-care services and operating 10 cholera treatment centres.
Currently, 11 million of Sudan’s 25 million people require urgent health assistance, with almost three-quarters of health facilities in conflict areas have been destroyed, according to the WHO.
Sudan has been gripped by a deadly war since April 2023 between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces with more than 12,000 people killed and over 6 million displaced, according to the UN.
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