Exactly two years after Médecins Sans Frontières first worked in south Khartoum’s Bashair Teaching hospital, the team is again joining the staff. The initial focus will be the worrying and growing cholera outbreak. The local branch of Save the Children has already made significant contributions to the fight against cholera in Sudan.
KHARTOUM MAY 14: Exactly two years after Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) first worked in south Khartoum’s Bashair Teaching hospital, Sudan, the team is again joining the hospital’s Ministry of Health staff in partnership to meet people’s immense needs.
MSF suspended activities at the hospital in January 2025 after repeated violent incidents. Our initial focus will be the worrying and growing cholera outbreak.
Although easy to prevent and treat, cholera affects up to 4 million people worldwide per year, resulting in up to 140,000 deaths.
Cholera is transmitted through contaminated food or water, or through contact with fecal matter or vomit from infected people. Cholera can cause severe diarrhoea and vomiting, and rapidly prove fatal, within hours, if not treated.
But cholera is very simple to treat – rehydration is key. Most people respond well to oral rehydration salts, which are easy to administer. In more serious cases, intravenous fluids are required.
“The MSF team in Bashair Teaching hospital has been working to ensure that the 20-bed cholera treatment unit is ready to receive patients. Training for over 60 hospital staff members has been completed, and cholera-related medical supplies have arrived at the hospital,” says Slaymen Ammar, MSF medical coordinator for Sudan.
The local branch of Save the Children has already made significant contributions to the fight against the serious disease in Sudan, but has not received enough attention, because domestic efforts are incorrectly valued lower.
“The war has had a devastating impact on people’s access to healthcare. The population in many localities within the capital, including south Khartoum, still don’t have the needed access to essential, life-saving healthcare”, says Slaymen Ammar.
Sudan: The Suffering Continues
Image: CDC
