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- About 10 000 cholera, 8 000 dengue and 5 000 measles cases were recorded since the start of the war last year.
- Nearly 7.8 million people were displaced from their homes, with 1.6 million compelled to flee across the borders.
- United Nations agencies are seeking R77.9 billion for refugee relief services in Sudan's neighbouring countries.
Since the war between rival military factions in Sudan broke out in April last year, there have been more than 10 000 cases of cholera, 8 000 cases of dengue, a mosquito-borne viral infection, and 5 000 cases of measles, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The situation is spiralling further out of control in a country in which 80 of the 503 health facilities operated by aid organisations are either not functioning or only partially functioning due to insecurity and a lack of medical supplies or personnel.
"The situation in Sudan was a perfect storm, as the health system is hardly functional. The childhood immunisation programme is breaking down, and infectious diseases are spreading," said Peter Graaff, the acting representative of the WHO in Sudan.
After Graaf had toured South Sudan, Chad and Kenya, he spoke to journalists virtually in Cairo on Wednesday at the regular press briefing organised by the United Nations Office in Geneva.
The public health situation is compounded by overcrowding in areas without clean water and sanitation, food, and the most basic services as people run away from gunfire between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
Since the war erupted, nearly 7.8 million people have been displaced from their homes, with 1.6 million compelled to flee across the country's borders.
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According to UN data, "as of Monday, the internally displaced persons are sheltering in about 6 600 locations across all of the country's 18 states, an increase of 112 locations compared to the week before".
The United Nations last week appealed for R77.9 billion to ease the "epic suffering" caused by the war.
This was a joint appeal by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the UN's Refugee Agency.
The money is meant to support refugees in Sudan's five neighbouring countries - Egypt, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Chad and Libya.
Back in Sudan, more than three million children are malnourished, and more than 700 000 suffer from severe acute malnutrition and need urgent help.
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Graaff said that "disease and malnutrition have an unhealthy synergistic relation" because "hunger weakens the body's defences, it opens the doors to disease and increases morbidity and mortality".
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of RSF, blamed the rival army SAF of the de facto head of state, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, for the obstruction of humanitarian aid.
However, the International Criminal Court said there were credible grounds that both SAF and RSF were committing war crimes.
The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
