AFP Yonhap News reported that 68 people have died from cholera over the past month in a refugee camp in Chad, a western neighboring country of Sudan, which has been embroiled in civil war for more than two years.
An official from the Chadian Ministry of Health stated, "Since the first cholera case was recorded at the Dugi refugee camp at the end of July, a total of 1,016 cases have been reported as of today, with 68 deaths among them."
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 850,000 Sudanese refugees have been residing in Chad since April 2023, after the outbreak of civil war between the Sudanese government forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rebel group.
Most of these refugees are crowded into camps where access to safe drinking water and medical services is extremely limited. Such poor conditions have been identified as the main cause for the spread of waterborne diseases like cholera.
Cholera is an infectious disease that causes diarrhea and often vomiting, and is transmitted through water or food contaminated with the Vibrio cholerae bacterium. While it can be treated if addressed early with fluid therapy, failure to receive timely treatment can result in death due to dehydration and other complications.
According to the medical relief organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Sudan has suffered the most from cholera since 2023, with the death toll exceeding 2,400 over the past year.
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