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STORY: UNHCR / SUDAN CHOLERA OUTBREAK
TRT: 02:21
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / ARABIC/ NATS
DATELINE: 22 AUGUST 2024, KHASHM EL-GIRBA DAM, KASSALA, SUDAN
1. Wide shot, families outside a clinic
2. Med shot, patients inside the clinic
3. Med shot, doctor setting up an IV drip
4. Wide shot, Amena Adam Ali seated next to her sick child
5. Close up, Amena’s sick child on a bed
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Amena Adam Ali, Eritrean:
“I brought her to the clinic this morning. The doctors examined her, checked her weight, gave her medicine and her condition has since improved.”
7. Med shot, young girl waiting to get an IV drip from the nurses
8. Med shot, a nurse at the clinic setting up an IV drip
9. Close up, fluid dripping from the IV
10. Med shot, various of man disinfecting the clinic with a hand spray
11. Med shot, UNHCR doctor talking to the nurse at the clinic
12. Med shot, UNHCR doctor at the clinic
13. Close up, admission book at the clinic
14. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Dr. Khalid Adam Mohammed Abdulrahim, UNHCR:
“We work in coordination with our health partners to train health workers, assess cases, equip isolation spaces in the refugee camps, and train volunteers who are raising awareness about cholera and its risks in the camps.”
15. Wide shot, UNHCR staff members checked medication stock at the warehouse
16. Med shot, boxes with medication being checked
17. Wide shot, medication stock at the warehouse
A new cholera outbreak is threatening refugees and displaced communities amid ongoing war and flooding in Sudan (22 Aug).
Of particular concern is the spread of the disease in areas hosting refugees, mainly in Kassala, Gedaref, and Jazirah states. In addition to hosting refugees from other countries, these states are also sheltering thousands of displaced Sudanese who have sought safety from ongoing hostilities.
To date, 119 cholera cases have been confirmed in three refugee sites in Kassala state, according to the Sudan’s Ministry of Health. Tragically, five refugees have died after contracting the disease.
Amena Adam Ali is just getting her strength back. The Eritrean mother has just recovered from cholera after being treated at a clinic in one of the refugee camps in Kassala. She swats flies away from her child lying next to her. She has developed cholera symptoms as well. Amena Adam Ali, Eritrean refugee said, “I brought her to the clinic this morning. The doctors examined her, checked her weight, gave her medicine and her condition has since improved.”
The recent cholera outbreak has resurged after several weeks of heavy rainfall and resulting flooding. The risks are compounded by the continuing conflict and dire humanitarian
conditions, including overcrowding in camps and gathering sites hosting refugees and those displaced by the war. Medical supplies are limited as well as health workers.
In addition to the spread of cholera, increasing cases of waterborne diseases including malaria and diarrhea, are also being reported. Constraints in humanitarian access are also impacting response efforts. Violence, insecurity and persistent rainfall are hampering the transportation of humanitarian aid. In White Nile, Darfur, and Kordofan states - home to more than 7.4 million refugees and internally displaced Sudanese - access challenges have delayed the delivery of critical medicines and relief supplies.
Together with the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO), and partners, UNHCR is scaling up cholera prevention and response efforts. UNHCR is working with health partners in affected locations to strengthen surveillance, early warning systems and contact tracing.
Dr. Khalid Adam Mohammed Abdulrahim, UNHCR, said they “work in coordination with our health partners to train health workers, assess cases, equip isolation spaces in the refugee camps, and train volunteers who are raising awareness about cholera and its risks in the camps.”
Since the start of the conflict in Sudan, over 10.3 million people have been driven from their homes, sheltering elsewhere within Sudan or in neighboring countries.
UNHCR is also concerned for the health and protection of Sudanese refugees who have fled the country. In South Sudan and Chad, our teams have reported an increase of malaria cases in refugee sites, triggered by the onset of the rainy season. This comes amid alarming rates of malnutrition, and cases of measles, acute respiratory infections, acute watery diarrhea, and the risk of outbreaks of cholera.
