Khartoum, October 23(Darfur 24) The United Nations has announced that the number of cholera cases in Sudan have reached 1,457, including 64 deaths, since the outbreak of the disease on September 26.
The United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs OCHA said in a statement that Sudan “announced an outbreak of cholera in Gedaref State (east) on September 26, and later an outbreak of cholera was announced in the states of Khartoum (central) and South Kordofan .
Cholera Cases were also reported in Al-Jazira State in central Sudan.
He added: “1,457 suspected cases of cholera and 64 related deaths were reported in the four states as of October 17.”
The UN office noted that the cholera outbreak comes at a time when the health care system in Sudan is suffering from “current pressures.”
UN added: “About 70 percent of hospitals in the states affected by the (armed conflict in the country) are not working, and facilities in states not affected by the conflict are overcrowded with the influx of displaced people.”
On September 26, the Sudanese Ministry of Health announced the death of 18 people from cholera in Gedaref State, east of the country.
The health sector in Sudan has been suffering from successive crises since last April 15, as a result of ongoing fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, which has left more than 9,000 dead, most of them civilians, and more than 5 million displaced and refugees inside and outside the country, according to the United Nations.