![Patients wait at a hospital amid the spread of cholera and dengue fever cases, in Gadaref city on September 27, 2023. [AFP via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/GettyImages-1692741484.jpg?fit=1200%2C773&ssl=1)
Sudanese authorities yesterday announced that cholera cases have risen to more than 21,000, including 626 deaths since August.
The Ministry of Health reported in a statement that 192 new cases were recorded in eight out of 18 states, including two new deaths.
Thus, the number of cholera infections has risen to 21,288, including 626 deaths, in 12 states, most notably Kassala, Al-Qadarif, the Red Sea, the Northern State and the Nile River, according to the same statement.
It reported an increase in the number of cases in the city of Al-Manaqil in Al-Jazira State, and the cities of Ad Douiem and Al-Gutaina in the White Nile, without specifying the numbers of deaths or new cases in those cities.
On Sunday, the Sudanese Ministry of Health announced that deaths due to the cholera epidemic had risen to 603 cases, out of 20,883 cases.
On Saturday, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced that it had provided Sudan with 1.4 million doses of cholera vaccines.
Cholera is a bacterial disease that is usually spread through contaminated water and causes severe diarrhoea and dehydration. If the infected person is not treated, it can be fatal within hours.
The spread of the epidemic coincides with the continued suffering of the Sudanese people due to an ongoing war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which erupted in April 2023. The war has left more than 20,000 dead and nearly ten million displaced and refugees, according to the UN.