Khartoum, Sep 23 (IANS): Sudanese Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim announced the launch of a one-month campaign to address the cholera epidemic.

The decision to launch the campaign was made during an urgent meeting of the higher committee for health and humanitarian emergencies in Kassala, the capital city of Kassala State in Sudan, the minister said in a statement on Sunday.

He said the campaign aims to combat cholera, enhance response to the disease in the states, unify the efforts, utilise available capabilities, and maximise the role of the community, with a focus on environmental sanitation, according to Xinhua news agency.

The campaign's programs include vaccination, vector control, environmental health interventions, food control, and water purification, besides raising awareness about the dangers of cholera and health promotion activities, he noted.

Meanwhile, the Sudanese Health Minister said 12,896 cholera cases, including 388 deaths, have been recorded across the country so far.

According to the minister, nine states have been affected by the cholera outbreak, including Kassala, Gedaref, the Red Sea, the River Nile, the Northern state, Khartoum, Gezira, the White Nile and Sinnar.

On August 17, the Sudanese Health Minister officially declared a cholera outbreak. The health ministry attributed the spread of cholera to deteriorating environmental conditions caused by the war and the use of unclean water.

Since fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023, epidemics such as cholera, malaria, measles, and dengue fever have spread, leading to hundreds of deaths.

The conflict has resulted in at least 16,650 deaths and displaced millions of people, according to UN estimates.