A cholera outbreak in the southern Sudanese city of Kosti has killed 58 people and sickened nearly 1,300 others in just three days, health officials said Saturday, overwhelming local medical facilities.
The rapid spread of the disease has been linked to contaminated drinking water after the city’s water supply facility was damaged during the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese military and a rival Rapid Support Forces.
The fighting, which has raged for nearly two years, has severely disrupted essential services and infrastructure across the country.
Cholera, a waterborne disease that causes severe diarrhea and dehydration, can spread rapidly in areas with poor sanitation and limited access to clean water.
The outbreak in Kosti underscores the vulnerability of civilians caught in the crossfire of the conflict.
The health ministry said it has launched a vaccination campaign in the city and expanded the capacity of an isolation center with the help of the United Nations and international medical groups.
However, these efforts are struggling to keep pace with the rapidly escalating crisis.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported that its cholera treatment center in Kosti hospital is overwhelmed.
“The situation is really alarming and is about to get out of control,” said Dr. Francis Layoo Ocan, MSF’s medical coordinator in Kosti.
“We’ve run out of space, and we are now admitting patients in an open area and treating them on the floor because there are not enough beds.”
MSF also noted that the White Nile River, a crucial water source for the city, is likely a major source of infection, especially after a recent power outage disrupted water pumping.
Local authorities have now banned residents from collecting water from the river and are working to increase chlorination efforts.
This latest outbreak follows a larger cholera epidemic that ravaged Sudan between July and October of last year, killing over 600 people and sickening more than 21,000, primarily in eastern regions where millions displaced by the conflict are sheltering.
The repeated outbreaks highlight the dire need for long-term solutions to improve access to clean water and sanitation in Sudan, as well as a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict.