KHARTOUM - Almost eight months of conflict in Sudan have created a dire humanitarian crisis, forced some 6.8 million people out of their homes and brought the health system to its knees.
UN health agency WHO representative in the country, Dr. Mohammad Taufiq Mashal, warned on Friday of the rapid spread of disease outbreaks amid mass displacement and a lack of healthcare access.
Within a month, cholera has spread from three to nine of Sudan’s states, he said, with over 5,400 suspected and confirmed cases and 170 deaths. Over 4,500 suspected measles cases and 104 deaths have been reported, along with over 6,000 cases of dengue and 56 related deaths.
Limited humanitarian access
Dr. Mashal stressed that insecurity and bureaucratic hurdles continue to limit humanitarian access across the country. The situation in Darfur is “especially concerning”, he said, as violence and a lack of essentials continue to force people to seek safety in neighbouring Chad.
Speaking to journalists from Port Sudan, Dr. Mashal highlighted WHO’s efforts to distribute relief supplies despite access challenges, using cross-border routes to cover hard-to-reach areas.
WHO is preparing to dispatch medical and diagnostic supplies to Darfur and Kordofan as part of a larger UN convoy, he said.
The UN health agency is supporting 21 mobile clinics in 8 states to reach internally displaced people with primary health care and operating 10 cholera treatment centres.
Dr. Mashal also said that together with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and partners, WHO supported an oral cholera vaccination campaign in Gedaref and Al Jazirah states, reaching over 2.2 million people.
Currently 11 million of Sudan’s 25 million people require urgent health assistance according to WHO, and almost three quarters of health facilities in conflict areas are closed.
