Contagious diseases spread fast in Sudan amid conflict

Contagious diseases, including cholera and dengue fever, are spreading rapidly in Sudan due to the prolonged conflict that has severely damaged the country's medical and health system.

According to data from the World Health Organization, Sudan has reported over 120,000 cases of infection and more than 3,000 deaths since the outbreak of a new round of cholera in the country in July 2024.

Since the second half of 2025, power infrastructure in multiple regions, including the capital city of Khartoum, has been repeatedly targeted by drone attacks, resulting in widespread power outages and the collapse of water supply systems. Residents have been compelled to consume untreated river or well water lacking proper disinfection and purification, thereby increasing the risk of waterborne disease transmission.

"There was a significant increase in malaria cases in 2025, with around 76,000 new infections. In contrast, the number of new cases in the same period of 2024 did not exceed 45,000. Since the autumn of 2025, the incidence of dengue fever has also been on the rise," said Montaser Osman, head of the department of epidemiology and disease control within Sudan's Ministry of Health.

"The rescue center treated him for malaria, but the fever kept recurring and his condition did not fully improve," said Kaltoum Osman, a family member of a patient

Moreover, the continuous deterioration of the sanitary environment is also a major factor contributing to the spread of infectious diseases. The long-term conflict has caused severe damage to infrastructure in many areas of Sudan, leaving the public service system nearly paralyzed. As a result, garbage collection, drainage maintenance, and environmental disinfection cannot be carried out as usual, creating conditions for large-scale breeding of mosquitoes and flies and further increasing the risk of disease transmission.

"Since autumn last year, the number of mosquitoes increased obviously, and the number of infection cases rose accordingly, mainly dengue fever. Among the suspected cases that were tested, the confirmed rate once reached as high as 50 percent," said Sulafa Ali, a doctor.

Sudan has been engulfed in a deadly conflict since April 15, 2023, when fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, leaving tens of thousands dead and millions displaced within the country and across its borders.

Under the combined impact of the escalating conflict, deepening humanitarian crisis, and the collapse of the public service system, Sudan's healthcare system is facing unprecedented pressure. If the conflict cannot be de-escalated promptly, the risk of recurrent epidemics will persist in the long term.

International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol warned on Thursday that the global oil market may enter a "red zone" in July and August this year, as fuel demand rise and stocks dwindle.

Birol noted that the supply crisis triggered by the situation in the Middle East was initially cushioned by spare capacity in the global oil market, but that oil stocks are now gradually decreasing.

The 32 members of the IEA on March 11 unanimously agreed to make 400 million barrels of oil from their emergency reserves available to the market in response to disruptions caused by the Middle East conflict.

The IEA stands ready to coordinate further reserve releases if necessary, Birol added.