3.4 million children at high risk of epidemic diseases in Sudan: UNICEF

Khartoum, Sep 18 (IANS) An estimated 3.4 million children under five are at high risk of deadly epidemic diseases in Sudan, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

With heavy rains and flooding in the country, diseases such as cholera, malaria, dengue fever, measles and rubella "can spread more rapidly and severely worsen the outlook for the children in the affected states and beyond," UNICEF Representative to Sudan Sheldon Yett was quoted as saying in a statement on Tuesday.

The crises stem from significant declines in vaccination rates and the destruction of health, water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure due to the ongoing internal conflict, he said, adding that the deteriorating nutritional status of many children in Sudan puts them at even greater risk.

UNICEF delivered 4,04,000 doses of oral cholera vaccine to Sudan on September 9, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the statement.

According to UNICEF, the vaccination coverage in Sudan has plummeted to some 50 per cent from 85 per cent before the internal conflict.

More than 70 per cent of hospitals in conflict-affected areas are non-operational, and frontline healthcare workers have not been paid in months, it said.

Since the outbreak of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023, epidemic diseases such as cholera, malaria, measles, and dengue fever have spread, leading to hundreds of deaths. The conflict has resulted in at least 16,650 deaths and displaced millions of people.

Sudan's Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim officially declared a cholera outbreak in the country on August 17. The ministry attributed the spread of cholera to deteriorating environmental conditions caused by the conflict and the use of unclean water.

Sudan's Health Ministry said on Tuesday that 10,022 cases of cholera, including 328 deaths, had been recorded in the country between July 15 and this Monday.