Sudan ramps up anti-cholera measures as 90 pct of new cases hit Khartoum

Khatroum [Sudan], May 29: Sudanese health authorities on Wednesday announced emergency measures to combat a recent cholera surge in the country, with 90 percent of new cases concentrated in Khartoum State.
Federal Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim outlined actions including the establishment of isolation centers, securing medical supplies, ensuring water safety, and launching public hygiene campaigns.
Local authorities in Khartoum State should intensify public awareness campaigns to encourage citizens to practice proper hand hygiene before and after meals, treat drinking water safely, dispose of waste responsibly, and take measures to reduce the spread of flies, he said in a statement.
Fath Al-Rahman Mohamed Al-Amin, director-general of the Khartoum State Ministry of Health, confirmed that 13 isolation centers have been set up across major hospitals.
"These centers were established to ensure full preparedness for isolating patients and limiting the spread of the disease," Al-Amin said in a statement.
A vaccination campaign targeting individuals over one year old began Wednesday, reaching 26 percent of its first-day goal with 30,204 people inoculated, the Sudanese Ministry of Health said in a statement. This marks the initial phase of a plan to vaccinate 3 million people across Khartoum State.
The ministry noted in an epidemiological report published Wednesday that the recovery rate among cholera patients in Khartoum's isolation centers had increased over the past two days, with 530 patients discharged during the period.
On Tuesday, the ministry announced a surge in the country's cholera cases, with 2,729 infections and 172 deaths recorded within a single week.
According to Sudan's Federal Emergency Operations Center, cumulative cholera cases in the country had reached 60,993 as of May 6, including 1,632 deaths.
Source: Xinhua