WHO: Cholera Outbreaks Continue Amid Severe Funding Shortfall

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that cholera outbreaks continue to affect several localities in Sudan’s Blue Nile State amid a severe funding shortfall facing its operations in the country.

The organization said its emergency response programs in Sudan for 2026 remain severely underfunded, having received less than 20 percent of the 97.7 million required. The shortfall is limiting efforts to scale up lifesaving health interventions in areas affected by conflict, displacement, disease outbreaks and epidemics, as well as in hard-to-reach areas.

The warning was contained in WHO’s Sudan Health Profile – August 2026, which said the organization continued to support the delivery of lifesaving health services during the reporting period, including secondary and primary healthcare, referrals, immunization, nutrition services, health education and capacity-building activities. More than 100,000 consultations were supported through WHO-supported hospitals and health facilities.

The report said WHO distributed 10.32 metric tons of medical supplies to health facilities to prevent stockouts and ensure continued access to lifesaving services.

Regarding disease outbreaks, WHO said it strengthened laboratory capacity to enable timely detection of outbreaks in priority states, including deploying a mobile public health laboratory in Blue Nile State to support the detection of dengue fever, viral hepatitis and other epidemic-prone diseases.

The report noted that the cholera outbreak continued to affect several localities despite intensified prevention and control measures by health authorities and partners.

WHO also supported oral cholera vaccination campaigns in high-risk states, with more than 675,351 people aged one year and above receiving cholera vaccines.