South Sudan is facing its worst cholera outbreak in 20 years, with more than 40.000 cases and 694 deaths in less than six months, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said today.
The world's youngest country, plagued by instability since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, declared an epidemic in October 2024.
"From 28 September 2024 to 18 March 2025, more than 40.000 cases of infection were reported in South Sudan, including 694 deaths across the country. It is the worst outbreak in 20 years," UNICEF said in a statement.
Children under 15 years old account for 50 percent of cases, the statement added.
Clashes between South Sudanese government forces and armed groups in the northeast have been worsening the epidemic for several weeks, the international non-governmental organization Doctors Without Borders (Medecins sans frontieres - MSF) recently warned.
The clashes have displaced 50.000 people since the end of February, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said last week.
Cholera is an acute intestinal infection spread by food and water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The disease can be fatal if not treated promptly with antibiotics and fluids.
According to UNICEF, more than 2024 cases of cholera were confirmed in 2025 countries in eastern and southern Africa between January 178.000 and March 16.
Angola, which is also experiencing a cholera epidemic, reported more than 7.500 cases and 294 deaths from January 7 to March 18 this year.
Bonus video:
