Latest news with #SylvainPenicaud
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 days ago
- Health
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Cholera Is Spreading Rapidly in Darfur in the Worst Outbreak in Years
CAIRO (AP) — Cholera is spreading rapidly in Darfur, killing 40 people and infecting more than 2,300 over the past week alone because of water shortages and a collapsed health care system have left communities vulnerable amid the ongoing war in Sudan, Doctors Without Borders said in a report Thursday. The group, also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF, said that hte outbreak was the worst the North African country has seen in years. As of Monday, a total of 99,700 suspected cases and more than 2,470 related deaths have been reported in Sudan since the cholera outbreak began in July 2024, according to MSF. While some vaccination campaigns that kicked off at the time managed to contain the disease, more people have been infected over the past few months because of poor hygiene measures and large numbers of people being displaced amid intensified fighting in the Darfur and Kordofan regions. The civil war erupted in April 2023 in Khartoum before spreading across the country. The fighting between the Sudanese military, its allies, and rival paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, has killed more than 40,000 people, displaced as many as 12 million, caused disease outbreaks and pushed many to the brink of famine. The World Health Organization describes cholera as a 'disease of poverty,' because it spreads where there is poor sanitation and a lack of clean water. The diarrheal disease is caused when people eat food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It is easily treatable with rehydration solutions and antibiotics, but in severe cases the disease can kill within hours if left untreated. Heavy rains worsened the situation by damaging sewage systems and creating stagnant water that became contaminated. 'The situation is most extreme in Tawila, North Darfur state, where 380,000 people have fled to escape ongoing fighting around the city of El Fasher, according to the United Nations,' MSF said Thursday. The medical group added that Tawila Hospital was overwhelmed by around 400 cholera patients earlier this month, when it only had the capacity for 130 people. Many had to be treated on the floor. 'Overcrowding of the camps and the catastrophic hygiene condition are key factors,' Sylvain Penicaud, MSF project coordinator in Tawila, North Darfur, told The Associated Press by phone. Recent displacement fueled by the fighting is another contributing factor to the outbreak. People are forced to take water from contaminated sources such as community wells that are 'extremely dirty.' The hygiene situation in Tawila is dire, he said. MSF plans to launch a vaccination campaign in Tawila as soon they receive 400,000 doses of cholera vaccine in coordination with WHO. North Darfur's capital city, el-Fasher, and its surrounding areas have seen repeated waves of violence recently. On Monday, the RSF attacked the famine-stricken displacement camp of Abu Shouk outside the city, killing 40 people and wounding at least 19 people. On Monday, the RSF denied targeting civilians in el-Fasher, but didn't mention attacks in Abu Shouk camp in a statement on its Telegram channel. The paramilitary accused Islamic Movement militias and 'mercenaries of the armed movements' of endangering the lives of civilians and using them as 'human shields in a desperate attempt to hinder' forces' advancements. 'The Rapid Support Forces reaffirms its commitment to continuing to open safe corridors for the departure of civilians from El Fasher to other, safer areas,' the group said.
CBC
2 days ago
- Health
- CBC
The water's not safe to drink in much of war-torn Sudan. But people have no choice
Two weeks ago, a human body was removed from a well in a refugee camp in Sudan, according to Doctors Without Borders. Two days later, people were drinking the water again. It's a distressing illustration of the situation Sudan's residents are facing after nearly 2 ½ years of civil war, says Sylvain Penicaud, a project co-ordinator with the global aid organization. Crowded camps, heavy rain and a lack of hygiene supplies have fostered the perfect storm for cholera, a painful and deadly water-borne disease, to spread. "Displaced persons are extremely exposed to those kinds of health problems created by unsafe water," Penicaud told As It Happens guest host Aarti Pole. "People have no choice but get water [in] such horrific conditions." Hundreds of thousands flee besieged city Sudan has been at war since April 2023, when fighting broke out in the capital city of Khartoum between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Since then, the violence has spread to other parts of the country, killing more than 50,000 people, displacing 12.5 million, and pushing many to the brink of famine, according to the United Nations. These intersecting crises are all on display in Tawila, a small town in the North Darfur state, where Penicaud is working with Doctors Without Borders to provide health care to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people. Roughly 300,000 people have come to Tawila since the start of the conflict, increasing the town's population tenfold. "I think most people cannot imagine what it is to have almost half a million people at the same place in an extreme level of vulnerability, lacking basically everything," Penicaud said. Most people taking refuge there, he says, are women and children who fled the state's besieged capital city of el-Fasher, a hot spot in the conflict. "They fled from fights with almost nothing in their pockets, just a few supplies, some clothes [and] cooking materials, but that's it, pretty much," Penicaud said. The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday reiterated its call for the RSF to lift its siege of el-Fasher, while denouncing the group's plan to resume its offensive in the city and establish a rival government in the areas of Sudan it controls. The UN World Food Program is calling for access to el-Fasher to deliver aid to people facing starvation. "As a coping mechanism, some residents of the area are reportedly surviving on animal fodder and food waste," spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said. Canada also joined 29 other countries in calling on RSF to end the siege, and for both sides to agree to a humanitarian pause and guarantee the "safe passage of civilians to leave areas of active hostilities on a voluntary basis, in the direction they choose." "This cannot continue," reads the statement, signed by Randeep Sarai, Canada's secretary of state for international development. Cholera vaccine campaign rolls out Meanwhile, Sudanese health officials are launching a 10-day vaccination campaign for cholera in Khartoum. Resident Montaser al-Sayed said he and his family recently returned home after being displaced by fighting. They feared cholera in the chaotic conditions but said the vaccination campaign reassured them. "As a mother, I was relieved," said another resident, Razaz Abdullah. Several cholera vaccine campaigns have rolled out across Sudan since the outbreak was declared last year. But it's proven nearly impossible to keep the disease under control as the war continues. The bacterial infection spreads through contaminated food and drinking water, causing diarrhea, dehydration — and if left untreated, death. Doctors Without Borders estimates there have been 99,700 cases of Cholera in Sudan and more than 2,470 related deaths since July 2024. In the Darfur region alone, the aid group has treated more than 2,300 cholera patients and recorded 40 deaths in the past week at facilities run by the Ministry of Health. Penicaud says people in the camps simply don't have enough clean water to meet their needs. The rainy season, he says, makes things worse as floods contaminate water supplies and damage sewage systems. Meanwhile, the fighting, a lack of financial donations and muddy, dangerous roads all make it hard to get supplies to those who need them. "The situation is extremely urgent, but also the constraints in terms of supplies are huge," Penicaud said. "It's very difficult for us and other humanitarian organizations to scale up our operations and to provide assistance to such a huge number of displaced persons." He's calling on international donors to step up. Doctors Without Borders estimates it will need $100 million US to enact an adequate response plan in Tawila alone. But in July, Penicaud says, the organization raised just five per cent of that. "We know that there's a lot of discussion with different donors to increase the level of the response," he said, "but it's really urgent to scale up operations here in Tawila."
News18
3 days ago
- Health
- News18
Cholera is spreading rapidly in Darfur in worst outbreak in years
Agency: Cairo, Aug 14 (AP) Cholera is spreading rapidly in Darfur, killing 40 people and infecting more than 2,300 over the past week alone because of water shortages and a collapsed health care system have left communities vulnerable amid the ongoing war in Sudan, Doctors Without Borders said in a report Thursday. The group, also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF, said that the outbreak was the worst the North African country has seen in years. As of Monday, a total of 99,700 suspected cases and more than 2,470 related deaths have been reported in Sudan since the cholera outbreak began in July 2024, according to MSF. While some vaccination campaigns that kicked off at the time managed to contain the disease, more people have been infected over the past few months because of poor hygiene measures and large numbers of people being displaced amid intensified fighting in the Darfur and Kordofan regions. The civil war erupted in April 2023 in Khartoum before spreading across the country. The fighting between the Sudanese military, its allies, and rival paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, has killed more than 40,000 people, displaced as many as 12 million, caused disease outbreaks and pushed many to the brink of famine. The World Health Organisation describes cholera as a 'disease of poverty," because it spreads where there is poor sanitation and a lack of clean water. The diarrheal disease is caused when people eat food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It is easily treatable with rehydration solutions and antibiotics, but in severe cases the disease can kill within hours if left untreated. Heavy rains worsened the situation by damaging sewage systems and creating stagnant water that became contaminated. 'The situation is most extreme in Tawila, North Darfur state, where 380,000 people have fled to escape ongoing fighting around the city of El Fasher, according to the United Nations," MSF said Thursday. The medical group added that Tawila Hospital was overwhelmed by around 400 cholera patients earlier this month, when it only had the capacity for 130 people. Many had to be treated on the floor. 'Overcrowding of the camps and the catastrophic hygiene condition are key factors," Sylvain Penicaud, MSF project coordinator in Tawila, North Darfur, told The Associated Press by phone. Recent displacement fuelled by the fighting is another contributing factor to the outbreak. People are forced to take water from contaminated sources such as community wells that are 'extremely dirty." The hygiene situation in Tawila is dire, he said. MSF plans to launch a vaccination campaign in Tawila as soon they receive 400,000 doses of cholera vaccine in coordination with WHO. North Darfur's capital city, el-Fasher, and its surrounding areas have seen repeated waves of violence recently. On Monday, the RSF attacked the famine-stricken displacement camp of Abu Shouk outside the city, killing 40 people and wounding at least 19 people. On Monday, the RSF denied targeting civilians in el-Fasher, but didn't mention attacks in Abu Shouk camp in a statement on its Telegram channel. The paramilitary accused Islamic Movement militias and 'mercenaries of the armed movements" of endangering the lives of civilians and using them as 'human shields in a desperate attempt to hinder" forces' advancements. 'The Rapid Support Forces reaffirms its commitment to continuing to open safe corridors for the departure of civilians from El Fasher to other, safer areas," the group said. (AP) GSP view comments First Published: August 14, 2025, 22:45 IST News agency-feeds Cholera is spreading rapidly in Darfur in worst outbreak in years Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Sudan cholera outbreak kills 40 in a week as health centres overwhelmed
The 'worst cholera outbreak in years' has killed at least 40 people in the last week in Sudan, according to the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières. Overwhelmed medical centres are resorting to treating patients on mattresses on the floor, MSF said, as the country's two-year civil war aids the spread of the disease. Sylvain Penicaud, MSF project coordinator in Tawila, North Darfur state, said families in displacement and refugee camps often had no choice but to drink dirty water, the main cause of cholera. 'Just two weeks ago, a body was found in a well inside one of the camps. It was removed, but within two days, people were forced to drink from that same water again,' he said. Sudan's cholera outbreak was first confirmed by the Federal Ministry of Health a year ago, and there have since been more than 99,700 suspected cases and more than 2,470 related deaths. The disease is spreading as people flee fighting, and being worsened by heavy rains, which contaminate water and overwhelm sewage systems, public health leaders said. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the public health agency of the African Union, has repeatedly raised concerns about the spread of cholera on the continent, which as of May accounted for 60% of cholera cases and 93.5% of related deaths globally. Vulnerable and conflict-affected states such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, as well as Sudan, are among the worst affected. MSF said its teams in Tawila, working with the local health ministry, had treated more than 2,300 cholera patients last month. The hospital's 130-bed treatment centre had to accommodate 400 patients in the first week of August. About 380,000 people have arrived in the small town since April as they flee fighting around the city of El Fasher and Zamzam camp, according to UN records. While the World Health Organization says that during an emergency people need at least 7.5 litres of water a day for drinking, cooking and hygiene, people in Tawila must survive with an average of only three. MSF said water shortages across Darfur made it 'impossible to follow essential hygiene measures, such as washing dishes and food'. Cholera treatment centres in other towns and regions were also being 'overwhelmed', it said. 'The health centres are full,' said Samia Dahab, a resident of Otash displacement camp in Nyala, South Darfur state. 'Some areas have water, others have kiosks that are far [away] or empty. Some water is salty, and we drink it unboiled, unsure if it's safe.' Tuna Turkmen, MSF's head of mission in Sudan, said the situation was 'beyond urgent' and 'spreading well beyond displacement camps now, into multiple localities across Darfur states and beyond'. In neighbouring Chad, 16 deaths and 288 cases were reported in the second week of August. Turkmen called for an international response 'to provide healthcare, improve water and sanitation services, and begin cholera vaccination campaigns in affected areas at a pace that matches the urgency this catastrophic situation requires', warning: 'Survivors of war must not be left to die from a preventable disease.'
Morocco World
3 days ago
- Health
- Morocco World
Sudan's Worst Cholera Outbreak in Years Kills 40 Amid Escalating Conflict
Casablanca – Sudan is grappling with its deadliest cholera outbreak in years, with Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reporting at least 40 deaths in the Darfur region over the past week alone. The crisis, described as 'beyond urgent' by aid workers, comes on top of more than two years of brutal fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Since Sudan's Ministry of Health first declared the outbreak one year ago, the country has recorded 99,700 suspected cases and over 2,470 deaths. MSF says the epicenter of the epidemic is Darfur, a region already devastated by war, mass displacement, and the collapse of basic infrastructure. In Tawila, North Darfur, residents survive on just three liters of water per day. Contaminated water sources have become a deadly necessity. 'Just two weeks ago, a body was found in a well inside one of the camps. It was removed, but within two days, people were forced to drink from that same water again,' said MSF project coordinator Sylvain Penicaud. Read also: At War's Two-Year Mark, Sudan Faces Worst Hunger Crisis in the World Health facilities across Darfur are overwhelmed. Tawila Hospital's cholera treatment center, designed for 130 patients, was forced to care for more than 400 in early August, with patients lying on extra mattresses on the floor. 'The international response must match the urgency of this catastrophic situation,' said Tuna Turkmen, MSF's head of mission in Sudan, calling for a rapid scale-up of healthcare, water sanitation, and mass vaccination campaigns. 'Survivors of war must not be left to die from a preventable disease.' Sudan's ongoing war, which erupted in Khartoum in April 2023, has killed over 40,000 people, displaced more than 12 million, and left millions more on the brink of famine. Read also: Sudan Army Battles RSF Assault in El Fasher
