Margaret Harris, an official with the World Health Organization, stated on Friday that the humanitarian crisis resulting from the civil war in Sudan is also exacerbating the spread of diseases, including cholera, with the bacterial illness causing over 300 deaths.
Harris mentioned in a call with reporters that 11,327 cases of cholera and 316 deaths have been reported, and that cases of dengue fever and meningitis are also on the rise.
She explained, “We expect the numbers to be higher than what has been reported.”
The World Health Organization had earlier issued a warning about the increasing risks of disease and epidemic outbreaks in Sudan amid the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the country, which has been ravaged by fighting since mid-April.
Cholera is a bacterial disease that typically spreads through contaminated water and causes severe diarrhea and dehydration.