40 dead in Darfur as worst cholera outbreak hits Sudan

At least 40 people have died in Sudan's Darfur region in the country's worst cholera outbreak in years, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Thursday.

Advertisment

The medical charity said the vast western region, which has been a major battleground over more than two years of fighting between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, had been hardest hit by the year-old outbreak.

The NGO said 2,470 cholera-related deaths had been reported in the year to August 11, out of 99,700 suspected cases.

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection that spreads through food and water contaminated with bacteria, often from faeces.

It causes severe diarrhoea, vomiting and muscle cramps.

Cholera can kill within hours when not attended to, though it can be treated with simple oral rehydration, and antibiotics for more severe cases.

There has been a global increase in cholera cases, which have also spread geographically, since 2021.

MSF said mass displacements of civilians sparked by the war in Sudan had aggravated the outbreak by denying people access to clean water for essential hygiene measures, such as washing dishes and food.