SUDAN: Over 200 die from diarrhoea outbreak, cases decreasing

Humanitarian agencies working in the Malakal area of Sudan's Upper Nile region have reported a decrease in the number of patients suffering from an outbreak of watery diarrhoea and vomiting that has killed some 213 people over the past month. Since March, 2,746 cases had been recorded, aid workers told IRIN on Thursday. "Daily admissions have come down to between 30-80 from 150-200 patients last week," UNICEF's emergency information officer in Khartoum Shima Islam told IRIN. "The mortality rate has also gone down to an estimated 0-6 per day in comparison to over 15 a day last week." The outbreak had spread to four of the eight provinces in Upper Nile, namely Tonga, Paliet, Mallout and Fashoda. "The cases are going down," WFP Sudan's reports officer Makena Walker confirmed to IRIN. Apart from distributing food to the hospitals, the agency is starting a food for work project to build about 150 latrines in conjunction with UNICEF and Sudan's ministry of education in 18 schools around the area. Meanwhile, WFP has expressed concern that recent insecurity resulting from clashes between various militia factions in the regions of Bahr el Ghazal, Western and Upper Nile could threaten the ceasefire which is due to be reviewed on 15 April. "The ceasefire is crucial for WFP overland transport operations which are much cheaper than airlifts," a WFP emergency update said.