![MSF staff providing aid to displaced persons in Upper Nile State. [Photo by MSF]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/MSF-outreach-in-Upper-Nile.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&quality=89&ssl=1)
Since the first suspected case was reported on November 5, the number of people affected has risen significantly, straining the limited response.
By December 3, 737 cholera cases were reported in Malakal, with MSF treating 646 patients – more than 87% of all cases.
Zakaria Mwatia, MSF head of mission in South Sudan, said the situation in Malakal remains critical, with the outbreak reportedly spreading to neighboring areas such as Tonga and Kodok.
“MSF urgently set up a 100-bed cholera treatment center (CTC) in Assosa and continues to provide critical medical care; however, significant gaps remain, especially in the number of functioning oral rehydration points (ORPs) and water and sanitation,” Mwatia said in a statement on Friday.
“We have been stretched thin in our response as we have had to expand our efforts to address critical gaps in the ongoing response,” the statement added.
The outbreak, initially declared in Renk, Upper Nile State, on October 28, 2024, has spread to Malakal, Bentiu in Unity State, Aweil in Northern Bahr-el Ghazal state, and even South Sudan’s capital, Juba.
Renk, a major entry point for refugees and returnees from Sudan, has inadequate living and hygiene conditions, contributing to cholera’s spread.
Over 850,000 people have crossed from Sudan into South Sudan over the past 18 months, around 75% of them through the Renk crossing.
The ongoing influx of refugees and returnees continues to pose risks to South Sudan’s fragile health system.
