KHARTOUM/NYALA — With conflict crippling clinics and contaminating water sources, WHO, UNICEF, and Sudan’s Ministry of Health—backed by Gavi and partners in the International Coordinating Group (ICG)—have begun a rapid 10-day cholera vaccination campaign using hard-to-reach, cross-border supply routes.
The first phase has launched in Nyala (South Darfur) and Ad Daein (East Darfur), with Tawila (North Darfur) slated to follow before month’s end. WHO teams are training vaccinators, pre-positioning cold-chain supplies, and conducting real-time monitoring to track uptake and adverse events, officials said.
Organizers aim to reach up to 97% of people in affected localities, prioritizing displacement sites and communities with severely disrupted water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services. “Vaccines can blunt explosive transmission, but only when paired with safe water, hygiene promotion, and rapid rehydration therapy,” a health coordinator noted, citing the heightened risk where latrines are damaged and surface water is used for drinking.
Deliveries are complicated by front-line movements, road insecurity, and fuel shortages. To preserve the cold chain, agencies are relying on solar fridges, last-mile carriers, and mobile teams, while community volunteers conduct door-to-door mobilization and set up fixed posts near markets and transit hubs. The ICG allocation allows single-dose oral cholera vaccine to stretch limited global supplies and protect the greatest number of people quickly.
Treatment centers are being resupplied with oral rehydration solution, IV fluids, and antibiotics for severe cases, while local authorities deploy chlorination points and emergency water testing. Public messaging focuses on handwashing with soap, safe food handling, and immediate care-seeking for acute watery diarrhea.
If access holds, officials plan to expand to additional hotspots and integrate WASH repairs with continued surveillance. “This campaign is about buying time and saving lives,” one field lead said. “Every vial delivered, and every jerrycan made safe, helps Sudan’s hardest-hit communities step back from the brink.”
