He United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) chartered a plane that arrived this Saturday morning in the city of Port Sudan with 1.4 million doses of oral cholera vaccines to boost efforts to protect children from the outbreak of that disease currently affecting the country.
Since the outbreak began in July 2024, more than 18,000 cases of cholera and approximately 550 deaths in ten states of the country.
The new batch of vaccines adds to the 404,000 doses UNICEF delivered to Sudan last month and will be used in ongoing immunization campaigns.
The campaigns have the purpose of vaccinating 1.81 million people against cholera in the most affected states: Gedaref, Kassala and Nile River.
Outbreaks of dengue, malaria and measles
In the midst of the war that has been ravaging Sudan for more than a year, UNICEF reported that, in addition to cholera, there are simultaneous outbreaks of other diseases– such as dengue, malaria and measles -, in at least twelve of the 18 states of the country.
Earlier this week, the UN agency delivered nearly 190,000 doses of malaria vaccines to the country to help protect children from the disease.
The impact of epidemics can be catastrophic
The UNICEF representative in Sudan warned that after war, displacement and famine“the impact of these epidemics could be catastrophic for children.”
“The delivery of vaccines to Sudanese health authorities and the most exposed communities is essential to stop the spread of these deadly diseases,” emphasized Sheldon Yett.
These disease outbreaks are leading to the fragile healthcare system of Sudan to the point of collapse and exacerbating deficiencies in sanitation and hygiene infrastructure.
UNICEF highlighted that the limited access to drinking water and sanitation adequate, especially in overcrowded displacement sites and camps, increases the risk of transmission. Children who have never been vaccinated and those who suffer from malnutrition are especially at risk.
Let’s get to work
“We need everyone to get to work now to scale up our response, stop the outbreak of cholera and other diseasesand protect the most vulnerable children,” Yett said.
The Children’s Fund asked the donor community for resources for 40 million dollars to reinforce tasks that seek to prevent famine and disease outbreaks in the next six months.
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