Odour from wells sparks cholera scare in Sudan’s Northern State

26/02/2017 14:57 DONGOLA

Residents in Sudan’s Northern State have complained of an unpleasant odour in drinking water, and have voiced their fear for infection with cholera or watery diarrhoea that has been spreading in Sudan.

Residents in Sudan’s Northern State have complained of an unpleasant odour in drinking water, and have voiced their fear for infection with cholera or watery diarrhoea that has been spreading in Sudan.

However, on Thursday the Sudanese Standards and Metrology Organisation denied that the groundwater that feeds the well is polluted. They attribute the odour to the high iron content in the water, and anaerobic bacteria that releases a gas which, they assure, is “not harmful to human health”.

Related News

Sudanese on Tuti Island: ‘If you don’t help us, we will all be dead within days’

13/10/2024 13:09 TUTI ISLAND, KHARTOUM

Call to tackle Sudan’s war trauma on World Mental Health Day 2024

10/10/2024 16:51
On 5 October 2024 in Port Sudan, Sudan, UNICEF Health Officer Khattab Obaid inspects a shipment of cholera vaccines in the back of a refrigerated truck before they are transported to Kassala, Gedaref and River Nile states. A UNICEF-chartered plane carrying 1.4 million doses of oral cholera vaccines arrived in Port Sudan, Sudan, early this morning, to bolster efforts to protect children from the ongoing cholera outbreak affecting the country. Since the current outbreak began in July 2024, over 18,000 cases of cholera and approximately 550 deaths have been reported in 10 states across the country. The new batch of vaccines adds to the 404,000 doses UNICEF delivered to Sudan last month and will be used in the ongoing immunization campaigns. The campaigns aim to vaccinate 1.81 million people against cholera in the hardest-hit states: Gedaref, Kassala and River Nile. Besides cholera, concurrent outbreaks of other diseases – such as dengue, malaria and measles – are taking hold in at least 12 of Sudan’s 18 states. Earlier this week, UNICEF delivered nearly 190,000 doses of malaria vaccines to the country to help protect children from malaria. “Coming on the heels of war, displacement and famine, the impact of these epidemics could be catastrophic for children,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative to Sudan. “Delivery of the vaccines to health authorities in Sudan and into the arms of communities most at risk is essential for stopping the spread of these deadly diseases.” Ongoing disease outbreaks are pushing Sudan’s already fragile healthcare system to a breaking point and exacerbating weaknesses in the sanitation and hygiene infrastructure. Limited access to safe water and adequate sanitation, especially in overcrowded displacement sites and camps increases the risk of transmission. Children who have never been vaccinated and those suffering from malnutrition are particularly at risk. “We need all hands on deck now to scale up our response,

1.4 million cholera vaccines land in Port Sudan

07/10/2024 10:14

Welcome

Install
×
Share
Copy Link
×