Nearly two dozen people have died in a cholera outbreak in Sudan as the African nation reels from a 16-month conflict and devastating floods. or signup to continue reading Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim said in a statement that at least 22 people have died from the disease, and that at least 354 confirmed cases of cholera have been detected across the county in recent weeks. Ibrahim didn't give a time frame for the deaths or the tally since the start of the year.
The World Health Organisation, however, said that 78 deaths were recorded from cholera this year in Sudan as of July 28. The disease also struck more than 2400 others between January 1 and July 28, it said. Cholera is a fast-developing, highly contagious infection that causes diarrhoea, leading to severe dehydration and possible death within hours when not treated, according to the WHO.
It is transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated food or water. The cholera outbreak is the latest calamity for Sudan, which was plunged into chaos in April last year when simmering tensions between the military and a powerful paramilitary group exploded into open warfare across the country. The conflict has turned the capital, Khartoum and other urban areas into battlefields, wrecking civilian infrastructure and an already battered health care system.
Without the basics, many hospitals and medical facilities have closed their doors. It has killed thousands of people and pushed many into starvation, with famine already.