Save the Children International Nigeria has reported alarming mortality rates from cholera outbreaks in Sudan and Nigeria, which are now almost three times the global average.
In a statement, the organization stressed that the ongoing conflict and severe flooding have severely hampered access to necessary medical care, putting thousands of children at risk.
Recent statistics from Sudan show that the case fatality rate (CFR) is 3.1 deaths per 100 confirmed cholera cases, well above the international standard of 1%. Nigeria reflects this troubling trend, with a case fatality rate of 2.9%.
The effects of climate change have caused unprecedented flooding in 16 countries in West, Central and East Africa, affecting more than 4.4 million people in West and Central Africa and 2 million in East Africa, with the crisis worsening. It’s getting worse.
A combination of flooding, contaminated water, and inadequate sanitation has led to a surge in cholera cases. Cholera is a treatable disease with timely medical intervention, but it remains inaccessible to many people in Sudan and Nigeria. Children under the age of five are particularly vulnerable, accounting for a disproportionate share of infections and deaths.
Between July 22 and September 29, Sudan reported more than 17,600 cholera cases and 546 related deaths in 10 states and 60 regions. Prolonged violence has left 80% of hospitals incapacitated, compounding the challenges posed by flooding and water pollution.
Save the Children said children under the age of five accounted for 15% of confirmed cases and deaths, with an alarming increase in cases among young children.
Nigeria is facing a similar crisis, with widespread flooding displacing communities in 29 of the country’s 36 states, mainly in the north. As of October 1, more than 450 cholera cases and 32 deaths had been recorded, with 37% of cases being children. The situation is expected to worsen as heavy rains continue in northern Nigeria.
Mohamed Abdiradif, Save the Children’s Interim Country Director in Sudan, said: “Lack of critical medicines, hunger and malnutrition are putting millions of children at risk of illness and death. “There is,” he said. Health teams across the country report that most childhood cholera deaths are caused by complications related to weakened immunity due to malnutrition. ”
In Nigeria, Save the Children Country Director Duncan Harvey highlighted the preventability of cholera outbreaks through improved infrastructure and hygiene practices.
He said: “The floods in Nigeria are exacerbating the situation for the most vulnerable people, especially children in the Northeast. I am.”
