Global charity warns of cholera outbreak at South Sudan's border amid flooding

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JUBA, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Displaced children on the South Sudanese side of the border with Sudan are at risk of deadly cholera outbreaks due to flooding and lack of adequate sewage systems, Save the Children, an international charity, warned Monday.

The charity said displaced children and families continue to flock into South Sudan daily from Sudan, fleeing violence and instability due to power struggle.

"People are dying in these transit centers and resettlement camps due to lack of access to medical care and exposure to the elements. With the start of the rainy season, facilities are reaching breaking point," said Muzamil Sebi, Save the Children's director of Advocacy, Campaigns, Communication and Media in South Sudan, in a statement issued in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, after a visit.

The charity said cases of cholera have already been reported in resettlement camps in Malakal, further down the River Nile, where many of the refugees from Sudan and returnees from South Sudan have been resettled after they cross the border.

It called on donors who are meeting in Geneva Monday to discuss financial support for the crisis in Sudan and the subsequent refugee influx to neighboring countries to give generously to avoid a health crisis.

Save the Children's Country Director in South Sudan Pornpun Jib Rabiltossaporn said cuts to international funding have had a devastating impact across South Sudan.

"We have been fortunate to be able to respond to the needs of newly displaced people from Sudan so far, but without new funds there is no telling how long this support will last. With the crisis in Sudan showing no sign of abating, support will be needed for weeks and months to come as people will continue to come across the border," Rabiltossaporn said.

She said more international support is urgently needed to enable humanitarian partners not only to respond to this new crisis but also to continue to support people affected by the ongoing hunger crisis affecting millions across the country.

The organization said the start of the rainy season earlier this month in Renk, in the northeastern part of South Sudan, brought in torrential rains, causing large areas of transit centers to become mud fields and raising fears that deadly floods and outbreaks of diseases like cholera will occur in coming weeks.

Cholera spreads quickly in flooded areas when the feces of an infected person contaminates water or food. The disease can spread rapidly in areas with inadequate treatment of sewage and no drinking water.

The charity said resources to respond to this escalating crisis in the border region are increasingly limited, with facilities reaching breaking point.

Since fighting began in Sudan in mid-April, more than 1.7 million people have been displaced, including close to 500,000 people who have sought safety in neighboring countries.

More than 100,000 people have reached South Sudan, making the country the third largest host of displaced people from Sudan after Egypt and Chad, according to the UN.