UNITED NATIONS, Oct 10, 2020 (BSS/XINHUA) – More than 10 million people in
Sudan risk contracting water-borne diseases following extensive damage of
floods to hundreds of water sources and the collapse of several thousand
latrines, a UN spokesman said Friday.
“Malaria and other vector-borne diseases are expected to rise, and Sudan’s
already fragile food security situation will likely worsen due to the
destruction of thousands of hectares of crops just before the harvest,” said
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, at
the noon briefing.
“Sudan is already facing dire humanitarian needs compounded by a
deteriorating economic situation. Humanitarian organizations have reached
over 400,000 people to date, but low funding is hampering aid workers’
capacity. Overall, the humanitarian appeal in Sudan has received less than
half of the 1.6 billion requested,” Dujarric noted.
The devastating rains that have left more than 875,000 people in need of
aid and claimed more than 150 lives since July have started to subside, said
Dujarric, citing figures from the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs.