Dengue, cholera and malaria outbreaks deepen Sudan's health crisis

Sudan is confronting a widening public health emergency as cholera, dengue fever, malaria and other infectious diseases spread across several regions, with the country's medical system severely degraded by more than three years of armed conflict.

In Blue Nile State, health authorities have recorded over 680 cases of dengue fever, and the count is still climbing. The state's health minister, Mustafa Jabrallah, said the situation demanded an urgent response and appealed to aid organisations to step in immediately with support.

Dengue and malaria have also surged in states including Gezira and Blue Nile. A local resident, Jaffer Hassan, described treatment as prohibitively expensive, requiring multiple medicines and nutritional supplements, and said severe shortages were leaving many people in desperate straits.

Cholera has added to the burden. A fresh wave of the disease began spreading in Darfur and Kordofan in June. Nearly 2,900 cases have been reported so far, including 247 deaths, while United Nations data indicates repeated cholera outbreaks have killed more than 3,500 people in Sudan since July 2024.

The conflict has left the health system under heavy financial strain, with widespread shortages of supplies and personnel. Basic public health services — waste collection, drainage maintenance and environmental sanitation — have been badly disrupted, and clean drinking water is scarce in many areas, raising the risk of further transmission.

To contain the outbreaks, the Ministry of Health has launched cholera vaccination campaigns in Darfur and Kordofan. Humanitarian groups are expanding safe drinking water supplies and intensifying sanitation work. Heavy rains, high temperatures and growing mosquito populations in some regions continue to complicate efforts to control the diseases.