At least 24 people have died, and more than 800 others have been hospitalized in South Sudan's White Nile state over the past three days due to a waterborne disease, according to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) on Friday.
اضافة اعلان
The outbreak comes after a drone attack on the Um Dabakir power station, located 275 kilometers south of the capital Khartoum, which disrupted access to drinking water in the city of Kosti, White Nile state.
MSF stated in a press release that "the most likely source of the infection is the river, where many families went to collect water using donkey carts after a significant power outage in the region."
Since then, authorities have banned collecting water from the river and have called for additional chlorine doses to be added to the water distribution system. Most restaurants have also been closed as a precautionary measure.
The NGO explained that the cholera treatment center at Kosti University Hospital is overcrowded with patients suffering from "severe diarrhea, dehydration, and vomiting."
According to MSF, 800 additional patients arrived at the cholera treatment center between Wednesday and Friday.
Sudan has been embroiled in a war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, millions displaced, and a severe humanitarian crisis.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned last month of increasing attacks on civilian infrastructure, including power stations, which have disrupted access to electricity and clean water for millions of people in the country.
