Sudan: Cholera outbreak Flash Update No. 1, As of 17 October 2023 [EN/AR]

HIGHLIGHTS

• Sudan declared a cholera outbreak in Gedaref State on 26 September, and on 7 October, cholera was declared in Khartoum and South Kordofan states. Suspected cases have also been reported from Aj Jazirah state; since then, 1,457 suspected cases (including 30 labconfirmed cases) and 64 associated deaths have been reported.

• A visit by partners to a Cholera Isolation Centre in Gedaref Teaching Hospital found that the delayed arrival of patients at hospitals may have contributed to the high number of deaths.

• Humanitarian agencies have scaled up their response to the outbreak. Surveillance is ongoing in affected and high-risk areas to identify and address risk factors.

• With support from partners, the Ministry of Health is coordinating efforts to scale up access to clean water and sanitation facilities, and awareness of transmission risks and proper hygiene practices.

• In Blue Nile State, cholera kits have been delivered to Ed Damazine and supplies from last year are still available.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Sudan declared a cholera outbreak in Gedaref State on 26 September after four cases were confirmed. Subsequently, the outbreak was also reported in Khartoum and South Kordofan. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1,457 suspected cholera cases and 64 associated deaths have been reported from four states as of 17 October 2023. The outbreak comes at a time that Sudan’s health care system is stretched to the limit: about 70 per cent of hospitals in conflict-affected states are non-functional and facilities in non-conflictaffected states are overwhelmed by the influx of displaced people.

OCHA, UNICEF, and WHO visited the Cholera Isolation Centre in Gedaref Teaching Hospital and found that while agencies have provided sufficient medication for cholera treatment and conducted WASH and health activities to mitigate the outbreak, the delayed arrival of patients (many with co-morbidities) at hospitals may have contributed to the high number of deaths. Before the outbreak, WHO had provided cholera supplies, including antibiotics, oral rehydration solution and intravenous fluids, to six states, including Gedaref, Khartoum and South Kordofan, and rapid diagnostic test kits to all 18 states. Currently, surveillance is ongoing in affected and high-risk areas to identify and address risk factors.

RESPONSE

A multi-sectoral response has been launched to contain the outbreak and prevent its spread to high-risk areas. According to WHO, the scaled-up response involves enhanced surveillance, laboratory confirmation, capacity building, treatment of patients, provision of supplies including water and sanitation support, and risk communication as well as community engagement. Apart from resources, partners will require unhindered access to affected localities to respond effectively to the outbreak.