The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has taken decisive steps to address the cholera outbreak in Sudan, sending a shipment of 1.4 million doses of oral vaccines against this disease. These vaccines arrived last Saturday in the city of Port Sudan as part of a strategy to protect Sudanese children from this devastating threat. The outbreak, detected in July 2024, has resulted in over 18,000 cases and approximately 550 deaths in ten states of the African country.
This new batch of vaccines adds to the 404,000 doses administered the previous month and will be used in ongoing immunization campaigns. The goal is to vaccinate 1.81 million people in the most affected states, such as Gedaref, Kassala, and Blue Nile, to try to contain the spread of the disease.
However, cholera is not the only health challenge facing Sudan. The country is also experiencing simultaneous outbreaks of dengue, malaria, and measles, impacting at least twelve of the nation’s eighteen states. In response, earlier this week, UNICEF also distributed nearly 190,000 doses of malaria vaccines in an effort to protect the youngest.
Sheldon Yett, UNICEF’s representative in Sudan, has warned about the potential devastating impact of these current epidemics, especially in a context of war, displacement, and famine that worsens the already critical situation. He emphasized the importance of delivering these vaccines to health centers and the most vulnerable communities to curb the spread of diseases.
Sudan’s healthcare system is on the brink of collapse due to these outbreaks, as well as deficiencies in its sanitation and hygiene infrastructure. UNICEF has stressed that the lack of access to clean water and proper sanitation, especially in displacement camps, increases the risk of contracting cholera and other diseases. Unvaccinated or malnourished children are particularly vulnerable in this context.
In light of this alarming situation, Yett has made an urgent call to the international community to act quickly and expand the response to this crisis, with the aim of stopping the cholera epidemic and protecting the most vulnerable children. UNICEF has requested $40 million in funding from donors to strengthen its efforts in preventing famine and disease outbreaks in the next six months.
Referrer: MiMub in Spanish
