Report on the Cholera Outbreak in Sudan and its Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary of the Crisis

Sudan is experiencing a severe and worsening cholera outbreak, exacerbated by a confluence of ongoing conflict, mass displacement, and heavy rains. This humanitarian crisis represents a significant setback for the achievement of multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to health, water, and peace.

Direct Impact on SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The outbreak poses a direct threat to SDG 3, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all. The situation on the ground indicates a failure to meet fundamental health targets.

• Epidemic Control (Target 3.3): The rapid spread of cholera is spiraling out of control. As of October 13, official data from Sudan’s Ministry of Health reported:
  1. Over 120,000 cholera cases nationwide.
  2. More than 3,300 associated deaths.
  3. In the Darfur region alone, 17,246 cases and 570 deaths have been recorded.
• Health System Efficacy: The World Health Organization has highlighted a “concerning case fatality rate” of 2.8%, a figure nearly three times the emergency threshold of 1%. This indicates a critical failure in the public health response.
• Access to Healthcare (Target 3.8): The conflict has decimated health infrastructure, with over 75% of health facilities destroyed, making access to essential healthcare a growing challenge for the majority of the population.

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation Failures as a Root Cause

The crisis is fundamentally linked to the collapse of water and sanitation systems, demonstrating a profound failure to achieve SDG 6. The conflict has uprooted millions, leading to conditions that directly contradict the goal’s core targets.

• Target 6.1 (Safe Drinking Water): Displaced families are forced into overcrowded camps where access to clean and safe water is scarce.
• Target 6.2 (Adequate Sanitation): The collapse of sanitation systems in these settlements is a primary driver for the rapid transmission of waterborne diseases like cholera.

Compounding Effects on Broader Sustainable Development

The cholera outbreak is not an isolated health event but a symptom of a wider developmental collapse, impacting several interconnected SDGs.

1. SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions): The ongoing conflict is the primary catalyst, undermining institutional capacity and preventing a stable, effective response to the health crisis.
2. SDG 1 (No Poverty) & SDG 5 (Gender Equality): The crisis disproportionately affects the most vulnerable, including women, children, and the elderly. They are caught in a devastating cycle of war, hunger, and disease, deepening poverty and exacerbating inequalities.
3. SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): The proliferation of overcrowded and underserviced camps for displaced persons highlights a failure to provide safe and resilient human settlements.

Urgent Response Requirements and Challenges to SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The international humanitarian response, a key component of SDG 17, is failing to meet the scale of the crisis due to systemic challenges.

• Underfunded and Overstretched Response: CARE International reports that the humanitarian response remains critically underfunded, hampering efforts to control the outbreak.
• Critical Supply Shortages: Efforts to reach affected communities are impeded by significant shortages of essential materials, including:
  • Medical supplies
  • Chlorine for water purification
  • Hygiene kits
  • Sufficient water trucking capacity
• Threats to Sustainability: A lack of sustained funding threatens to undermine ongoing interventions and could lead to a further worsening of the crisis as the rainy season continues. This points to a critical gap in global partnerships and resource mobilization.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Addressed in the Article

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• The article’s primary focus is the “worsening cholera outbreak” in Sudan, a major public health crisis. It details the high number of cases (“more than 120,000”) and deaths (“over 3,300”), directly relating to the goal of ensuring healthy lives. The destruction of “over 75 percent of health facilities” further underscores the severe challenges to public health and well-being.

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

• The article explicitly links the cholera outbreak to environmental factors, stating that “mass displacement, and heavy rains fuel the rapid spread of waterborne diseases.” It highlights the critical lack of basic services, noting that in overcrowded camps, “access to clean water is scarce and sanitation systems have collapsed.” This directly addresses the core components of SDG 6.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• The root cause of the humanitarian crisis is identified as the “ongoing conflict.” This conflict has led to “mass displacement” and the collapse of essential services, including healthcare and sanitation, which in turn has enabled the cholera outbreak. The breakdown of institutional capacity to respond to the crisis is a central theme, connecting the situation to the goal of promoting peaceful and inclusive societies.

Specific Targets Identified

Targets under SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

1. Target 3.3: By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases.
   • The article is entirely focused on a cholera outbreak, which is a “waterborne disease” and a communicable disease epidemic. The text describes how the disease is “spiraling out of control,” directly highlighting the challenge of meeting this target.
2. Target 3.d: Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks.
   • The article points to a failure in managing health risks. The “concerning case fatality rate” of 2.8 percent, which is “nearly three times the emergency threshold,” indicates a breakdown in the health system’s capacity to respond. Furthermore, the statement that “over 75 percent of health facilities destroyed” shows a severely weakened capacity for risk management.

Targets under SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

1. Target 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.
   • The article implies a failure to meet this target by stating that for displaced families, “access to clean water is scarce.” The mention of “insufficient water trucking capacity” further emphasizes the struggle to provide safe drinking water.
2. Target 6.2: By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all.
   • This target is relevant as the article states that “sanitation systems have collapsed.” The mention of “shortages of… hygiene kits” also points to a lack of access to basic hygiene facilities and supplies.

Targets under SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

1. Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.
   • The “ongoing conflict” is presented as the foundational cause of the entire crisis. While the article focuses on deaths from cholera, these are directly linked to the conflict that has displaced millions and destroyed infrastructure, making them conflict-related deaths.

Indicators Mentioned or Implied

Indicators for SDG 3

• Incidence of water-borne disease: The article provides specific numbers that can be used to measure the scale of the epidemic: “more than 120,000 cholera cases” nationwide and “17,246 cases” in Darfur. This directly relates to Indicator 3.3.1 (Incidence of specific communicable diseases).
• Mortality rate from communicable disease: The article provides data on deaths (“over 3,300 deaths”) and a “case fatality rate of 2.8 percent,” which are direct measures of the outbreak’s severity and the effectiveness of the health response.
• Health system capacity: The statement that “over 75 percent of health facilities destroyed” serves as a stark indicator of the country’s diminished capacity to manage health risks, relevant to Indicator 3.d.1 (IHR capacity). The fact that the humanitarian response is “underfunded and overstretched” is another qualitative indicator of this lack of capacity.

Indicators for SDG 6

• Access to safe water and sanitation: While not providing percentage-based statistics, the article offers qualitative indicators of access. Phrases like “access to clean water is scarce” and “sanitation systems have collapsed” serve as clear, albeit non-numerical, indicators of the state of water and sanitation services for the affected population.

Indicators for SDG 16

• Impact of conflict on civilians: The “mass displacement” of millions of people is a direct indicator of the conflict’s impact. The cholera deaths themselves can be considered an indirect indicator of conflict-related deaths, as the conflict created the conditions for the outbreak to thrive.

Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: global.chinadaily.com.cn