Sudan violence rages on as humanitarians battle cholera outbreak in Darfur: UN

United Nations, Sep 23 (IANS) UN humanitarians reported a sharp deterioration in the humanitarian situation in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, while the United Nations and its partners battle a cholera outbreak across western Darfur.

“Deadly attacks and fresh displacement compound the suffering of civilians,” said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

“The violence continues to have a devastating impact on humanitarian response efforts.”

The International Organisation for Migration said that about 7,500 people on Thursday and Friday fled the Abu Shouk displacement camp on the outskirts of El Fasher and parts of the town itself amid heightened insecurity.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher warned over the weekend that El Fasher is on the brink, with civilians living in famine conditions.

He called for an end to the fighting between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces, stressing the need to protect civilians and to allow aid in, Xinhua news agency reported.

Despite insecurity, a UN- and partners-backed cholera vaccination campaign was launched across western Darfur. The campaign seeks to vaccinate 1.9 million people.

OCHA said there were more than 5,200 suspected cholera cases in South Darfur state and more than 250 deaths were reported since May.

According to the WHO, Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by consuming food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It is a global public health threat and indicates inequality and a lack of social and economic development. Access to safe water, basic sanitation and hygiene is essential to prevent cholera and other waterborne diseases.

Most people with cholera have mild or moderate diarrhoea and can be treated with oral rehydration solution (ORS). However, the disease can progress rapidly, so starting treatment quickly is vital to save lives. Patients with severe disease need intravenous fluids, ORS and antibiotics.

Countries need strong epidemiological and laboratory surveillance to swiftly detect and monitor outbreaks and guide responses.

Cholera outbreaks occur regularly in some countries. In others, they are less frequent, and it may be years between outbreaks. Cholera is linked to limited access to safe water, basic sanitation facilities and poor hygiene practices. This may be due to conflict, population displacement, climate events like cyclones, floods or drought, and lack of investment in maintaining and improving WASH services and infrastructure.

The number of cholera cases reported to the WHO has continued to rise in recent years. In 2023, a total of 535,321 cases and 4007 deaths were reported to the WHO from 45 countries. The discrepancy between these figures and the numbers estimated by researchers is likely due to limited surveillance systems and cases not being recorded out of fear of repercussions for trade and tourism.

–IANS

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