September 4, 2024 (PORT SUDAN) – Thousands of children in eastern Sudan are at risk of cholera following a major outbreak caused by widespread flooding, contaminated water and a decimated health system after 16 months of war,  a children charity said. Save the Children said nearly 2900 cases of cholera and 112 deaths have been reported between July 22 and the beginning of September this year. Sudan’s Ministry of Health officially declared a Cholera outbreak in the country on August 12. It, however, stressed that the actual numbers may be higher as limited access to health facilities and delayed community referrals are leading to a significant underreporting. In El Damer in River Nile State and in Gedarif in Gedarif State, Save the Children teams are reporting a huge spike in cholera cases among children under five, who account for nearly 15% of the confirmed cases and deaths across the country. The spike in cholera comes with no end to the fighting that started in April last year and has devastated the country’s health and sanitation systems. Cholera spreads rapidly due to inadequate sewage treatment, flooding, and unsafe drinking water—conditions worsened by relentless heavy rains that have battered much of the …

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