The World Health Organization warned this Wednesday that 10,000 children could die this year in Sudan due to the conflict, and called for “urgent measures” to help the 7.1 million internally displaced people, the largest number in the world.
“Millions of families have been trapped in the fighting, and more than 5.8 million people, 2.5 million of whom are children, have been recently displaced and are on the move; with more than 7.1 million internally displaced , Sudan now has the highest number of internally displaced people in the world,” reads a joint statement from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, which warns of the high number of child deaths.
“Although there is insufficient data for verification, projections based on Johns Hopkins University’s ‘Life Saves Tool’ model indicate that at least 10,000 children under age 5 could die by the end of 2023 due to increased food insecurity already disruptions to essential services, far more than 20 times the official number of children of all ages who died in the fighting,” which has already lasted six months, they add.
Sudan, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the WHO, “now has the largest number of internally displaced people in the world”, and “without access to food, clean water, a clean and healthy environment, health and many basic services, the risk of death due to birth complications, reduced vaccination, disease outbreaks and malnutrition is increasing rapidly.”
In the text that also marks the passage of six months since the conflict began, on April 15, the United Nations agencies emphasize that “new disruptions in health systems will result in an unacceptable number of avoidable deaths among children and vulnerable populations “.
For this reason, the WHO and UNICEF ask for “urgent action” by the international community, in a country where 70% of hospitals do not function, health teams have been without pay for months and there have already been 58 attacks on health facilities. , which have caused 31 deaths and 38 injuries among doctors, nurses and patients.
Taking into account the dramatic situation of the population, the WHO also points out that the number of families suffering from hunger has almost doubled, with 100,000 children needing treatment to survive, in addition to the danger of epidemics increased by the rainy season.
At the end of September, the Ministry of Health announced a cholera outbreak in the state of Gedaref, which then spread to the states of Khartoum and South Kordofan, causing 65 deaths, which, according to this UN agency, would be only the first.
“Cholera is a highly contagious and deadly disease for vulnerable populations, which if not quickly controlled could kill many more,” says the WHO, concluding that, in addition to cholera, malaria, dengue and measles.
The situation in Sudan has worsened over the past six months, with the conflict intensifying since April between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Source: TSF
