Khartoum, Sudan, 26 July 2018 – WHO, in support of Sudan’s Federal Ministry of Health, has prepositioned vital medicines and medical supplies for more than 3 million beneficiaries as part of the national emergency preparedness plan for the upcoming rainy season.
The supplies include rapid response kits for a population of about 3 million people; cholera treatment kits, sufficient to treat 2000 severe or 8000 moderate cases; oral rehydration solutions; and laboratory testing kits, equipment and furniture. The shipment also contains 2 surgical kits and 265 sets of personal protection equipment. These have been distributed to 11 high-risk states out of the 18 states in Sudan.
“WHO will work closely with national counterparts and leadership at the Federal Ministry of Health, as well as partners and stakeholders, to ensure a coordinated and impactful response to health needs of the vulnerable populations during the rainy season,” said Dr Naeema Al Gasseer, WHO Representative in Sudan.
“It is extremely important to scale up our preparedness efforts in high-risk areas and support the vision of the Federal Ministry of Health to save lives and leave no one behind”, she added.
Additional stocks of cholera medicines and other emergency supplies have also been arranged for advanced prepositioning.
The rainy season in Sudan (June to September) usually witnesses an increase in acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) cases that require an active preparedness response plan to urgently contain any potential outbreaks.
From August 2016 to March 2018, a total of 36 962 cases of AWD were recorded in 18 states, leading to the death of 823 people, of which 15% were children below the age of 5 years.
WHO’s ongoing support in Sudan is a result of generous contributions from the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF), Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), the Qatar Development Fund, the Government of Japan and the Government of Italy.
For more information, please contact:
Ajyal Sultany
WHO Communications Officer
+246 900907512
