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Sudan declares cholera epidemic

Khartoum, Aug 19 (Prensa Latina) Adding to a trail of devastation left by 16 months of civil war, a full-blown cholera outbreak is gripping Sudan right now, forcing de African country to declare an epidemic stage.

As recently announced by the local Ministry of Health, 22 people have died and 354 cases have been confirmed across the country in recent weeks, figures that constitute sufficient evidence of an epidemic.

The proclamation follows a recent announcement by the World Health Organization that from January 1 to July 28, 2024, 78 deaths from the disease were recorded in Sudan, adding to the new statistics revealed by the Minister of Health Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim.

Cholera is a highly infectious disease caused by enterotoxins of the bacillus Vibrio cholerae; those infected are affected by syndrome that leads to vomiting and excessive diarrhea. It is contracted by ingestion of infected food or water and can kill in just hours if not treated on time.

The current Sudanese plight is aggravated by the destruction of hospitals and health centers, as a result of fighting between loyalists of the president of the Sovereign Transitional Council (Government), General Abdel Fattah al Burhan, and his rival, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the Rapid Support Forces militia.

Preliminary figures estimate that the war between the two parties, which began in April last year, has killed 15,000 people in crossfire, far more were wounded and 11 million became refugees.

ied/omr/arc/msl

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