In a country where a war has already taken thousands of lives and uprooted millions, a quieter threat has returned to the foreground: Sudan's Ministry of Health reports more than 1,000 dengue cases and 11 deaths across eight states, with Gedaref in the east bearing the heaviest burden. The ministry points to dense mosquito populations and a population with little prior exposure to the virus, a reminder that disease tends to follow the crowding and disruption that conflict leaves behind. As thousands of displaced people shelter in the east, a health system already stretched by fighting must now
Sudan Reports Over 1,000 Dengue Cases and 11 Deaths as Conflict Strains Health System
At least 11 people have died from dengue fever, and thousands are sheltering in eastern Sudan amid fighting that has displaced more than 5 million people.
Dengue is landing on a health system already under pressure from war
Mark
The headline number is just over 1,000 cases and 11 deaths. How should we read that?
Mimi
As the ministry's official tally of reported cases. It covers eight states and names Gedaref as the worst affected, citing mosquito density and low herd immunity.
Luke
Keep the word 'reported' in view. The statement doesn't say how many people were tested, and during a war, counts depend on clinics that may not be operating. The real figure could be different.
Mark
The ministry says eight states this year, twelve last year. Is that good news?
Mimi
It's a comparison the ministry offered, but it doesn't say what it means.
Luke
Right. Fewer states doesn't mean fewer cases. We don't have 2022 case totals in this reporting, so we can't say whether this is better or worse.
Mark
Where does the WHO fit in?
Mimi
It says cholera and dengue outbreaks have been reported in eastern Sudan, where thousands are sheltering from the fighting.
Luke
Worth noting that's a WHO statement about outbreaks in the east generally. The ministry's statement singles out Gedaref, but the material doesn't tie the WHO's description to specific case numbers.
Mark
So what do we actually know about why this matters?
Mimi
The conflict since April has killed more than 3,000 people and displaced over 5 million, and the health sector has been hit repeatedly. Dengue is landing on a system already under pressure.
O Pulso
- Over 1,000 dengue cases and 11 deaths have been reported across eight Sudanese states, and the count is still open.
- Gedaref State is the hardest hit, with mosquito density and low herd immunity cited as the drivers.
- Thousands of people sheltering in eastern Sudan from fighting in Khartoum and other cities now face cholera and dengue at once.
- The health ministry's figures lack a state-by-state breakdown and the 2022 comparison data, leaving the true trajectory unclear.
In a country where a war has already taken thousands of lives and uprooted millions, a quieter threat has returned to the foreground: Sudan's Ministry of Health reports more than 1,000 dengue cases and 11 deaths across eight states, with Gedaref in the east bearing the heaviest burden. The ministry points to dense mosquito populations and a population with little prior exposure to the virus, a reminder that disease tends to follow the crowding and disruption that conflict leaves behind. As thousands of displaced people shelter in the east, a health system already stretched by fighting must now also contend with dengue and cholera, and the coming weeks will show whether these numbers settle or continue their climb.
On Thursday, Sudan's Ministry of Health released figures showing more than 1,000 dengue cases and 11 deaths across eight states. The statement, carried by Anadolu Agency, named Gedaref State as the hardest hit, pointing to dense mosquito populations and a lack of herd immunity, meaning too few people have been exposed to the virus before to slow its spread.
The ministry offered no breakdown by state, and its comparison with 2022 is incomplete: dengue was recorded in eight states this year against twelve the year before, but the statement did not say whether that means a smaller outbreak, nor did it include 2022 case counts.
The World Health Organisation has separately reported cholera and dengue outbreaks in eastern Sudan, where thousands have taken shelter while the Army and the Rapid Support Forces fight in Khartoum and other cities. Since the conflict began in April, more than 3,000 people have been killed, tens of thousands injured, and over 5 million displaced, and the health sector has absorbed one crisis after another.
What comes next is whether the ministry's count keeps rising, and what the WHO reports from the east, where disease and displacement now overlap.
On Thursday, Sudan's Ministry of Health put a number on a disease that has been moving quietly alongside the country's war: more than 1,000 reported cases of dengue fever, and 11 deaths, spread across eight states. The figures were released in a ministry statement and carried by Anadolu Agency.
The ministry named Gedaref State as the hardest hit. It gave two reasons: the density of mosquitoes there, and a lack of herd immunity, meaning too few people in the population have previously been exposed to the virus to slow its spread. The statement did not offer a breakdown of cases by state.
The ministry also offered a comparison with the previous year. Dengue cases were recorded in eight states in 2023, against twelve states in 2022. The statement did not say whether that narrower geographic spread means a smaller outbreak, and the case counts for 2022 were not included in the material reported.
The World Health Organisation has separately said that outbreaks of both cholera and dengue fever have been reported in eastern Sudan. That is where thousands of people have taken shelter while the Army and the Rapid Support Forces fight in Khartoum, the capital, and in other cities. Gathering large numbers of displaced people in one region is the context in which these outbreaks are being reported.
The health sector has absorbed a series of crises since the conflict began in April. The wider toll frames the dengue figures: more than 3,000 people have been killed, tens of thousands have been injured, and more than 5 million have been displaced. Most of the violence has been concentrated around the capital.
The dengue numbers are therefore one part of a larger strain on a health system operating during war. Anadolu's report also pointed to earlier warnings from Sudanese medics that cholera and dengue fever were spreading.
What to watch next is whether the ministry's count continues to rise, and what the WHO reports from eastern Sudan, where the outbreaks of cholera and dengue overlap with the shelter of thousands of displaced people.
Citações Notáveis
The state most affected by the disease is Gedaref State, due to the density of mosquitoes and the lack of herd immunity.— Sudan's Ministry of Health
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