At least 40 dead in Sudan's cholera outbreak

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 Aug. 14.

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.

"On top of an all-out war, people in Sudan are now experiencing the worst cholera outbreak the country has seen in years," MSF said in a statement.

"In the Darfur region alone, MSF teams treated over 2,300 patients and recorded 40 deaths in the past week."

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

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

It causes severe diarrhea, 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.

"The situation is most extreme in Tawila, North Darfur state, where 380,000 people have fled to escape ongoing fighting around the city of El-Fasher, according to the United Nations," MSF said.

"In Tawila, people survive with an average of just three liters of water per day, which is less than half the emergency minimum threshold of 7.5 liters needed per person per day for drinking, cooking and hygiene."