Sudan: 58 dead in cholera outbreak in Kosti

According to Sudanese health officials, a cholera outbreak in the southern city of Kosti killed 58 people and infected nearly 1300 others in the last three days. The outbreak was blamed on contaminated drinking water after the city lost its water supply facility during an attack by a paramilitary group. The Sudanese health ministry said it has taken various measures to curb the spread of the disease, including launching a vaccination campaign in the city and expanding the capacity of a nearby isolation center in cooperation with the United Nations and international medical groups. However, Doctors Without Borders said its cholera treatment center in Kosti has been overwhelmed by cases, prompting its team to use emergency rooms and an open area to treat patients. According to Dr. Francis Layoo Ocan, the group’s local medical coordinator, the situation in the city is “really alarming” and could get out of control quickly. Meanwhile, authorities banned residents from collecting water from the White Nile River, considered the most likely source of infection, and reinforced chlorination in the water distribution system.
Last year, another cholera outbreak in the eastern regions of Sudan killed more than 600 people and sickened over 21,000 others. The country is plunged in a brutal civil war which has created more than 3 million refugees and over 14 million displaced persons.