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Sudan Situation Report, 14 Nov 2019 [EN/AR]

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Sudan
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OCHA
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HIGHLIGHTS

  • Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) allocation allows for the scale up of cholera vigilance in Khartoum State.

  • Final phase of the yellow fever vaccination campaign launched in Khartoum State targeting 7.5 million people

  • In 2019, over 426,000 people have been affected by heavy rains and flash floods across the country.

  • Cholera (335 cases), dengue (1,901 cases), rift valley fever (299 cases), and chikungunya (83 cases) continue to be reported across the country.

FEATURE

SHF funds allow for the scale up of cholera vigilance in Khartoum State, Sudan

The Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) disbursed about US$3 million to the World Health Organization (WHO) to fill immediate gaps in access to life-saving health and environmental health services for the communities affected by floods and the cholera outbreak. Assistance will be provided in 114 prioritized localities in 17 states. This funding comes at a critical time as the impact of the economic crisis, recent flooding and the ongoing disease outbreaks have put a lot of strain on the public health system. Imports of medicines has been declining for the second year in a row, according to the Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS) statistics.

Scale up of cholera activities in Khartoum State

The Sudan Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) and WHO are working with health partners and at-risk communities to scale up surveillance of cholera in Khartoum State. This will ensure that suspected cholera cases are quickly identified and responded to, and that people can effectively protect themselves from infection. There is a risk of the cholera outbreak spreading to Khartoum state is if the outbreak is not properly managed.

To ensure that health facilities and cholera treatment centres in Khartoum State are equipped to diagnose and treat suspected patients, WHO has delivered cholera medicines and supplies sufficient for 400 severely dehydrated patients, and 500 rapid diagnostic tests used for immediate detection and screening of cholera patients in health facilities. WHO is also supporting the establishment of two cholera treatment centres in Ombada and Bahri localities by providing additional cholera medicines, medical supplies, and rapid diagnostic tests. To strengthen disease surveillance, WHO, with support from the international NGO Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), is providing refresher training for 271 health staff and paramedics from all seven localities in the state on cholera detection and management. An additional 35 health staff are being trained to form Rapid Response Teams who will be the first to respond to suspected cases at the locality level.

“A key aspect of preventing and controlling cholera is how well at-risk communities are able to protect themselves by drinking safe water, properly handling food, avoiding defecation in open areas, hand washing, and knowing what to do when they see the first signs of infection,” said Dr Al Gasseer, WHO Representative in Sudan.

WHO and the Khartoum State Ministry of Health are working with more than 1,700 male and female health promoters and volunteers who will play a critical role in raising awareness among communities on cholera, hygiene practices, and environmental health, as well as linking communities with available health services and involving them more in health planning activities.

An expert team from the WHO headquarters in Geneva that specializes on cholera forecasting, estimate that there may be between 5,000 and 13,200 cholera cases in high risk states of Sudan by end March 2020. The projection was created based on the pattern of previous cholera/acute watery diarrhea (AWD) outbreaks from 2016-2018.

Background: The Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF). Under the direction of the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC), the SHF aims to support the timely allocation and disbursement of donor resources to the most critical humanitarian needs in the country as defined by the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) or any agreed upon strategy by the HC. The SHF provides funding to international and national NGOs and UN agencies, through voluntary donor contributions. Since its establishment in 2006, the SHF has received more than $1 billion from joint donor resources to meet the most critical needs identified by the humanitarian community in Sudan.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.