Floods in the Sudan: Progress Report # 01 - 12 Aug 2007

Highlights

- Funding of US$ 4.76 million secured from Sudan's CHF, to respond to the most immediate needs.

- 38,500 people currently in need and in receipt of food aid, but figure may soon rise considerably.

- 691 suspected cases of AWD reported so far, leading to 48 known deaths. Yellow fever kills three.

- Over 200,000 people in receipt of essential NFIs so far. Pre-positioning underway.

Funding

Funding totalling US$ 4.76 million has been secured from the Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF), and is now in the process of being disbursed to agencies. Funding has so far been allocated for 15 projects managed by four United Nations agencies and five NGOs, for activities in the Food Security and Livelihoods, Health and Nutrition, Non-Food Items (NFIs) and Emergency Shelter, and Water and Sanitation sectors.

Needs and response by sector

Food Security and Livelihoods

The World Food Programme (WFP) is currently providing food to 38,500 beneficiaries in northern Sudan, of which 20,000 in rural Kassala, 7,000 in Rabak town (White Nile State), 1,500 in El Damazin town (Blue Nile State), and 10,000 in Um Rawaba and Bara (Northern Kordofan).

In Southern Sudan, WFP has delivered rations to 5,464 beneficiaries in Renk County (Upper Nile State), one of the most affected areas in Southern Sudan, and to 3,385 in Mayom County (Unity State). In Renk County, WFP together with the local authorities, has also launched a food-for-recovery project, providing food to beneficiaries, in exchange for digging ditches in some parts of Renk town.

Preliminary estimates suggest that the number of people in need of food assistance may swiftly rise. While available food resources could cover the increased number of beneficiaries until the end of the rainy season, funding will be required to pay for field assessments and distribution costs.

In the states of Jonglei and Unity, in response to increased concerns of animal diseases resulting from the floods, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) provided 2,000 vials of vaccine, to support vaccination activities for 200,000 livestock against the most prevalent animal diseases.

Health and Nutrition

Acute watery diarrhoea (AWD)

Between the first case on 19 April and 06 August, the total number of reported suspected cases of AWD in Gedaref and Kassala had reached 691, leading to 48 known deaths, with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 6.94%.

Active surveillance, case management, and treatment, are ongoing. Water chlorination and health education activities are being carried out in the affected areas. To date, 17 treatment centres have been established in affected areas.

Yellow fever

The total number of yellow fever cases reported since the start of the emergency is four, leading to three known deaths (with a CFR of 75%), all reported from South Kordofan. The last case was reported on 18 July in Taludi. Active surveillance is ongoing, especially among returnees from Khartoum.

A vaccination took place in mid-July in South Kordofan, for 265 people who had not been covered by previous campaigns.

Non-Food Items (NFIs) and Emergency Shelter

As of 07 August, the following NFIs were dispatched to implementing partners for distribution or contingency pre-positioning: 73,332 blankets, 4,014 buckets, 4,838 cooking sets, 52,442 jerry cans, 3,880 mosquito nets, 23,598 pieces of plastic sheeting, 45,578 sleeping mats, and 37,590 pieces of soap. These items benefited 40,845 households (an estimated 236,035 people), of which 26,651 located in Khartoum and the northern states, 13,461 in the eastern states, and 736 in Blue Nile State.

In Renk County (Upper Nile State), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and partners have delivered 2,120 NFI kits.

Assessments are ongoing in the states of Blue Nile, Kassala, Khartoum, Northern Kordofan, Port Sudan, and White Nile, in order to identify any gaps in coverage or additional needs.

If you have inputs for the next edition, or questions and comments on this one, please contact:

Maurizio Giuliano, Public Information Officer, United Nations, Khartoum, Sudan, Email: giuliano@un.org, Tel: +249-91-2174454

Nahla Zarroug, Information Analyst, United Nations, Khartoum, Sudan, Email: zarroug@un.org, Telephone: +249-9-12160065