Cholera Grips Sudan as Conflict Escalates

Image Name: Cholera

Image Credit: Medulance

As if the civil war wasn’t enough, the nation has a new, even more despicable crisis-ridden situation on its hands: cholera. Already ravaged by months of internal strife and political instability, Sudan is now gripped by a severe outbreak that threatens thousands of lives. The humanitarian situation is very dire, with more than 388 deaths reported in the span of just two months. Their human and health infrastructures crumble beneath the weight of conflict, challenging mechanisms for controlling the spread of cholera.

A Nation in Chaos
Sudan has been a country in war with internal strife, political instability, and socio economic ones for a long time. Since the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir in 2019, Sudan has been at the center of a power struggle more particularly between the military, with forces led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, nicknamed Hemedti. This has led to thousands of casualties and has displaced millions as Sudan teeters on the edge of collapse.

But the violence extends far beyond the battlefield. Continuous fighting has crippled health services, water supply and sanitation systems that are critical in the control of cholera outbreaks. As a peace deal continues to evade the parties to the conflict, the toll of murder is mounting in public health terms, with cholera now fast emerging as the newest dreaded aftermath of Sudan’s broader humanitarian catastrophe.

Deadliest Disease on the Rise
Cholera is caused by the bacterium; if the water and food supplied are contaminated, leading to cholera infection. The symptoms are severe diarrhea and dehydration, which may kill a person in a few hours if the infection is not treated. Sudan also struggles with enough clean water and adequate medical supplies. The civil unrest has been raging in the country for years, which has put the medical system in quite a precarious position.

The outbreak so far has involved several states, and notably White Nile, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile have been hit the hardest. The widespread contamination of water sources has facilitated a diffusion of cholera, putting refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and local populations alike at risk, as all rely on unhygienic water supplies. The consequences are particularly dire in overcrowded IDP camps, where proper sanitation is nearly impossible to maintain.

A Perfect Storm for Cholera
Heavy rains, heralding the onset of the rainy season, have worsened a cholera crisis in Sudan. Flooding and floods have further polluted water sources. Already, many places are facing an acute shortage of water for consumption. Flooding has overwhelmed already fragile sanitation infrastructure, leaving fertile breeding grounds for waterborne diseases in rural areas and refugee camps.

Flood waters carry, along with the cholera-causing bacteria, much destruction to much-needed hospital and health facilities. The impact is lack of access to treatment where most of the health workers have been displaced or are overwhelmed by the number of patients. So far, more than 500 have already been confirmed, and hundreds more suspected.

Humanitarian Response
International organizations and local health authorities are trying their best; however, several issues have cropped up. The war has prevented access to areas currently affected; however, there is a severe lack of medical supplies and clean water, as well as healthcare workers. CTCs have been established in some parts, which are usually unprepared and understaffed to accommodate such a massive number of patients.

WHO and NGOs established emergency vaccination campaigns focused on the population that is most often exposed to cholera. However, no vaccination program can end cholera without the correction of its real causes: inadequate sanitation and lack of clean water. This is because most of these structural problems remain unturned through the devastation of the country’s infrastructure and the areas made inaccessible through war.

The call for immediate humanitarian intervention cannot be overstated. Humanitarian needs in Sudan are immense, as the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimated that about 15.8 million people across Sudan-approximately a third of the country’s population-require humanitarian assistance, and an urgent health service to 8.4 million people. Cholera is just the latest complication in an already extraordinary humanitarian situation.

Image Name: Cholera Crisis In Sudan

Image Credit: The Guardian

Women and Children End
While cholera does not discriminate, there are certain groups that are more vulnerable than others. Women and children constitute the majority of the displaced populations in Sudan. Due to malnutrition, dehydration, and lack of medical care for complications leading to death, pregnant women and children under five run a greater risk in war zones.

This is because children have their immunological system relatively weak, which will only gain time to learn how to deal with the cholera infection. Undernourished children are mostly vulnerable to other medical problems such as the collapse of essential body organs due to the unattended infection. The most vulnerable Sudanese demographic-the children-can’t bear the denial of their essential nutrition and medical care.

A Dark Prognosis
The future looks shaky for Sudan, as it has to face not just a devastating war but also a deadly cholera attack in the same backdrop. The violence between fighting military fractions fails to come down, and the health infrastructure, designed to combat the cholera outbreak, is in shambles. All chances are that the situation may worsen, unless the international community somehow collaborates to provide immediate medical help and long-term support to rebuild health and sanitation systems.

These humanitarian organizations are demanding more funds, better access to the conflict zones, and a cohesive global response so as not to have the cholera outbreak drift into a full-scale disaster. Diverse solutions are required to address the crisis-from the rejuvenation of emergency medical care and rehabilitation of water to making sure hygiene education is made available.

Conclusion
After the series of cholera infections and deaths in Sudan, it is but a grim reminder how political instability and violence have hampered efforts in surmounting public health crises. As the death toll continues to rise higher, Sudan’s people are caught in the crossfire of conflict, displacement, and disease. International intervention would not delay any longer; otherwise, things will only get worse and claim more lives while deepening the humanitarian disaster in the country.

There is a great need for collective action and for concerted effort, both in the short and long term, to rebuild the healthcare system and infrastructure in Sudan. The international community must take action now to help & not just curb the spread of cholera but also to alleviate the suffering of millions affected by the interwoven crises of war and disease.