The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised alarm over the escalating cholera outbreak in Sudan, which has now spread to 12 states across the country, affecting more than 71,000 people and claiming over 1,770 lives since July 2024.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, made an urgent appeal for unrestricted humanitarian access to contain the outbreak and save lives.
“Since July 2024, the cholera outbreak in Sudan has spread to 12 states across the country, affecting 71,000 people and causing over 1,770 deaths,” he stated.
Amid worsening conflict and limited access to affected communities, WHO has been working in close coordination with the Sudanese Ministry of Health to respond to the emergency.
“WHO is supporting the Ministry of Health in a vaccination campaign using existing 115,000 doses of the vaccine already available in country,” Tedros said.
In a joint effort with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), WHO recently scaled up its vaccine deployment.
“Together with UNICEF, we delivered an additional 2.9 million doses to Port Sudan two days ago,” Tedros confirmed.
To bolster treatment efforts, WHO has also sent medical supplies and transport resources, ambulances to treat cholera patients.
These interventions have already started yielding positive results. “These efforts have already contributed to a decrease in the number of new infections and deaths,” Tedros noted.
However, the ongoing conflict in Sudan continues to hinder access to several high-risk communities, limiting the reach of critical health services and supplies.
Emphasizing the urgency of a humanitarian ceasefire, Tedros said, “But without access, we can’t reach everyone at risk. We need a ceasefire to allow our teams to reach all areas, to deliver vaccines to save lives.”
The cholera crisis comes amid a broader humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan, where fighting between rival military factions has displaced millions and destroyed health infrastructure.
Health agencies warn that unless access is granted immediately, the outbreak could spiral further out of control, threatening thousands more lives.