UNICEF expands cholera response in Sudan with delivery of oral vaccines

According to information released by the UN agency, its efforts are aimed at protecting children from the outbreak that has threatened the country for the past four months.

Since July last year, Sudan has reported more than 18,000 cholera cases and approximately 550 deaths across ten states.

In response, UNICEF is supporting a vaccination campaign that aims to reach 1.8 million Sudanese in the hardest-hit states of Gedaref, Kassala and the Nile River.

At the same time, the Children’s Fund warns of a high risk of the spread of other diseases such as dengue, malaria and measles in at least twelve of the 18 states.

According to UNICEF Sudan Representative Sheldon Yett, the impact of these epidemics can be catastrophic for children in the midst of war, displacement and famine.

“Providing vaccines to Sudan’s health authorities and the most vulnerable communities is essential to stopping the spread,” he said.

The outbreaks are pushing the fragile health system to the point of collapse and exacerbating deficiencies in the sanitation infrastructure, the ambassador added.

“We need everyone to get to work now to scale up our response, stop the outbreak of cholera and other diseases and protect the most vulnerable children,” Yett said.

The UN agency delivered nearly 190,000 doses against malaria last week, and another 404,000 doses against cholera arrived in September.

The conflict, which erupted in April 2023, has displaced 11 million people, including some 2.9 million forced to seek refuge in neighboring countries, in what experts consider the largest displacement crisis on the planet.

Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and its rival Rapid Support Forces has destroyed countless livelihoods, plunging the country into a complex spiral of famine and death.

NPG/EBR