2.6 Million People in Khartoum to Receive Cholera Vaccines

The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced that the Republic of Sudan's Khartoum State is facing an infrastructure breakdown and severe constraints on access to healthcare.

Since May 2025, there has been a rapid increase in cholera cases in Khartoum State, with over 16,000 cumulative cases and 239 deaths reported.

Effective as of June 10, 2025, a 10-day reactive oral cholera vaccination (OCV) campaign was launched in five localities to protect more than 2.6 million people aged 1 year and above from cholera infection, interrupt transmission, and help contain the ongoing cholera outbreak.

WHO Representative in Sudan, Dr Shible Sahbani, commented in a press release, "The vaccines will help stop cholera in its tracks as we strengthen other response interventions."

Khartoum is the capital city of Sudan, with over 7 million residents, located adjacent to the Nile rivers.

The WHO's Global Cholera and Acute Watery Diarrhoea Dashboard was updated in June 2025, indicating that over 224,000 cholera cases and 2,800 related fatalities were reported from 26 countries this year.

Cholera is a vaccine-preventable disease caused by consuming food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It poses a global threat to public health.

As of June 12, 2025, OCV remains in limited supply worldwide, except for the United States.