UN humanitarians battle to contain disease outbreaks in Sudan

UNITED NATIONS — The aid community in Sudan, amid insecurity and access challenges, is fighting to contain outbreaks of dengue fever, mpox and suspected cholera cases, UN humanitarians said.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that in the El Nuhud area of West Kordofan state, the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners are responding to a suspected outbreak of acute watery diarrhea, commonly associated with cholera. More than 100 suspected cases and dozens of associated deaths were already reported this week.

In the Darfur region, UN humanitarians are working with health authorities to address suspected mpox outbreaks in Central and South Darfur states, where more than 300 suspected cases and five associated deaths have been reported this week, OCHA said. "WHO is supporting a large-scale cholera and measles vaccination campaign led by authorities in Darfur."

The office said that in Northern and River Nile states, the WHO and health partners have responded to dengue fever outbreaks. In Northern state, suspected cases have more than tripled over the past month, reaching more than 500.

"These health emergencies are unfolding as insecurity continues to endanger civilians and humanitarian operations," OCHA said. "In South Kordofan, multiple drone strikes in and around Dilling yesterday (Wednesday) reportedly killed at least two people and injured several others. One strike reportedly damaged a health facility and destroyed medical supplies and equipment."

The office said the humanitarian community in Sudan assisted more than 1.6 million people in the first four months of the year.

OCHA called on all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and to facilitate access, as required by international humanitarian law. Additional funding also remains critical to deliver life-saving assistance to millions of people in Sudan, Xinhua news agency reported.