Health authorities in Sudan have launched a 10-day cholera vaccination campaign in the capital, Khartoum, aiming to contain a rapidly spreading outbreak exacerbated by civil war, displacement, and heavy rainfall.
Officials began administering the oral cholera vaccine to children and other vulnerable populations on Sunday, targeting more than 150,000 residents. Associated Press footage showed healthcare workers actively vaccinating people across the city.
“For many families recently displaced by fighting, the campaign offers reassurance,” said Montaser al-Sayed, a resident who recently returned home. Razaz Abdullah, another local, added, “As a mother, I was relieved.”
Aid organizations warn that the outbreak is accelerating amid Sudan’s collapsed health infrastructure. “Cholera is spreading at an alarming rate, and the collapsed health system makes it extremely hard to trace and contain,” said Sophie Dresser, director of programs at Mercy Corps-Sudan.
The United Nations reports that over 32,000 suspected cholera cases have already been recorded in Sudan this year. Since the outbreak was first declared in July 2024, more than 83,000 cases and 2,100 deaths have been documented, according to Sudan’s health ministry.
Cases are also rising in the remote western region of Darfur, where 1,440 suspected cases and 74 deaths have been reported.
Despite previous vaccination campaigns in 2024, cholera has continued to spread amid fighting between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese army. The civil war, which erupted in April 2023, has killed over 40,000 people, displaced up to 12 million, and pushed many toward famine.
The World Health Organization classifies cholera as a “disease of poverty,” spreading where sanitation is poor and access to clean water is limited. Caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, cholera is treatable with rehydration solutions and antibiotics, but severe cases can be fatal within hours if untreated.
In late May, Khartoum alone reported 172 deaths and more than 2,500 infections in a single week, prompting a prior 10-day vaccination campaign that reached over 2.2 million people. Aid groups caution that other regions—including North Kordofan, White Nile, and River Nile provinces—face similar risks due to crowded shelters, poor sanitation, and limited medical access.
“In places like Darfur and Kordofan, conditions are ripe for cholera to thrive,” Dresser said, urging urgent support and vaccination efforts.
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