A fast-moving cholera outbreak has gripped Sudan, killing at least 172 people and infecting more than 2,500 others in just one week.
The outbreak is centred in Khartoum and Omdurman, where thousands of residents have returned after fleeing civil war, only to find destroyed homes and contaminated water.
Health officials say the rapid spread is due to collapsed sanitation systems, widespread water shortages, and overcrowded displacement centres.
UNICEF reports that the number of cases has surged ninefold in just 10 days, with over 7,700 cases confirmed since January — including more than 1,000 children under four.
Doctors Without Borders says treatment centres are overwhelmed, and many patients arrive too late to survive.
Collapsed healthcare, scarce resources deepen crisis
Joyce Bakker, the group’s coordinator in Sudan, described the situation as “disturbing,” warning that the full scale of the outbreak remains unknown.
Cholera is a diarrheal disease caused by ingesting food or water tainted with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae and can be deadly within hours if untreated.
Though easily curable with rehydration and antibiotics, access to care is scarce as over 80% of Sudan’s hospitals are non-functional.
The country’s health system has been devastated by more than two years of civil war, which has killed at least 24,000 people and displaced over 14 million.
Cholera outbreak spreads rapidly in Sudan
Experts warn that the current outbreak could worsen due to a lack of vaccines, worsening poverty, and recurring seasonal floods that damage critical infrastructure.
Sudan has faced cholera outbreaks before, but the scale and speed of this crisis reflect the war’s impact on already fragile health and sanitation services.
Other diseases, including dengue and meningitis, are also spreading, compounding an already catastrophic humanitarian emergency.
