Government, partners need to do more to tackle cholera outbreak in Renk

Several cases of Cholera have been confirmed in the busy Rent transit camp for displaced persons fleeing conflict in war torn Sudan.

A joint statement issued on Monday by the World Health Organization (WHO) together with the Ministry of Health, revealed that as of 27 October 2024, 49 cholera cases have been reported among refugees, returnees, and local communities.

This means that the government and partners should ramp up humanitarian assistance especially in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector (WASH). The editor of the Dawn was in Renk in May, last year, and what he witnessed was an overcrowded camp with people defecating in the open.

The shortage of clean drinking water was a persistent challenge, as more weary people including both Sudanese refugees and returnees kept on arriving at South Sudan border with Sudan.

The government should eliminate all obstructions along major highways, and also unnecessary impediments to ease speedy delivery of humanitarian assistance to the population in Renk.

This immediate response is needed to mitigate the spread of Cholera, which could cause preventable death especially among children.