Sudan's cholera outbreak afflicts thousands as health system collapses

There is still no respite for Sudan's people as a cholera outbreak which was confirmed in August continues to wreak havoc.

Sudan's health ministry said Wednesday that 430 people had died as a result of the outbreak in the past month, with 14,000 cases of the disease reported.

Cholera was confirmed in August in the provinces of Kassala, Gedaref, Khartoum, Al-Jazirah and River Nile. It followed heavy rains and flooding.

The epidemic compounds the suffering of the Sudanese who are already exhausted by over a year of war. Over nine million people have been forced to flee their homes. The United Nations and aid agencies have also reported famine-like conditions in some parts of the country.

Cholera is a highly contagious disease. It causes diarrhea and dehydration before killing its victim.

The disease thrives where there is a lack of clean water and poor sanitation.

In Sudan, the war has destroyed the state's capacity to provide sanitation services for its citizens. Even worse, the country's health system has collapsed due to attacks on hospitals and a lack of supplies, according to medical charity Doctors without Borders.