Sudan Health Crisis: World’s Largest Humanitarian Emergency

Sudan has become the site of the world’s largest ongoing humanitarian health crisis following three years of war. As of April 15, 2026, an estimated 34 million people in the country require humanitarian aid, with 21 million lacking access to essential health services.

The medical system has been crippled by a combination of repeated attacks, disease, and widespread hunger. While some states have seen slight improvements, the health crisis is deepening in areas where active fighting continues, leading to a shrinkage in available health services and a shortfall in funding.

The war in Sudan is devastating lives and denying people their most basic rights, including health, water, food and safety. The health system has been crippled, leaving millions without essential health care.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General

Systemic Collapse and Attacks on Healthcare

Across Sudan’s 18 states, 37% of health facilities are currently non-functional. The degradation of the system is driven by targeted attacks on ambulances, patients, health workers, and the facilities themselves.

View this post on Instagram about Sudan, Darfur

Since April 15, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) has verified 217 attacks on health care, resulting in 2,052 deaths and 810 injuries. In conflict-affected regions, hospitals are either closed or only partially operational due to the destruction of equipment and infrastructure.

The impact is particularly severe in the Greater Darfur and Kordofan regions, where fighting has displaced populations and restricted the movement of humanitarian supplies. A recent attack on El Daein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur resulted in at least 64 deaths, including children and health workers. This facility served as a critical referral hospital for hundreds of thousands of people and is now non-functional.

Disease Outbreaks and Malnutrition

The collapse of the health infrastructure has coincided with a surge in malnutrition and infectious diseases. According to an IPC Alert dated February 5, 2026, over 4 million people are estimated to be acutely malnourished in 2026, increasing their vulnerability to medical complications.

Widespread disease outbreaks have been reported across several states, including Al Jazirah, Darfur, Gedaref, Khartoum, Kordofan, River Nile, and White Nile. These include:

• Malaria and dengue
• Measles and polio (cVDPV2)
• Hepatitis E
• Meningitis and diphtheria

Three years in conflict have turned Sudan into the world’s largest ongoing health crisis, where disease is spreading, malnutrition is rising, and access to health care is rapidly declining.

Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean

WHO Humanitarian Response

The WHO has remained on the ground since the conflict began on April 15, 2023, providing disease surveillance, training, and coordination. Since that date, the organization has delivered more than 3,300 metric tons of medical supplies and medicines, including trauma care and supplies for nutrition, malaria, and cholera.

WHO-supported services, including mobile clinics, hospitals, and primary health care centers, have provided essential care to more than 4.1 million people. The organization supported the treatment of over 118,000 children suffering from complicated severe acute malnutrition.

Vaccination efforts have reached more than 46 million children and adults for rubella, measles, diphtheria, polio, and cholera. Sudan also became the first country in the region to integrate malaria vaccines into its routine immunization program.

In a coordinated effort with the Federal and State Ministries of Health, the WHO helped contain two cholera outbreaks. The most recent outbreak was declared over in March 2026, following a response that included oral cholera vaccination campaigns reaching 24.5 million people.

Despite these efforts, the WHO continues to call for sustained long-term funding, the protection of health care workers, and unrestricted, safe access to all areas of Sudan to prevent further loss of life.