Nearly 1,000 people have had acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) spread by flood waters in eastern Sudan, and 58 of them have died, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Wednesday. "The total number of cases is now almost 1,000. Fifty-eight have died," the official, Ahmed al-Ganainy, told Reuters.
WHO said last month the epidemic was cholera, which is spread by a waterborne bacteria, causes severe watery diarrhoea and can lead to death within hours if not treated.
The Gedaref State Ministry of Health, in one of two regions affected by the outbreak, stated last month it had established seven "Cholera Treatment Centres" as part of a campaign to stop the spread of the disease.
The central Ministry of Health in Khartoum denies the outbreak is cholera. "It is Acute Watery Diarrhoea. It is not cholera," said ministry spokesman Fatah Malik. Last year a cholera outbreak throughout Sudan killed 700 people and affected 25,000.
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