Over 1 million polio vaccines destroyed in Sudan during looting amidst conflict

After a polio outbreak at the end of 2022, UNICEF was carrying out a series of vaccination campaigns in Sudan, but due to the recent surge in violence and looting, more than one million polio vaccines have been destroyed, reported Reuters. 

Polio is a disease that primarily affects young children and can result in paralysis or death.

While Africa was declared free of wild polio in 2020, Sudan, Malawi, and Mozambique have reported imported cases since then.

According to a database maintained by the World Health Organization, there have been 28 incidents of attacks on healthcare facilities in Sudan since the conflict began last month, with the Sudanese army facing off against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

The crisis in Sudan has resulted in numerous humanitarian agencies reporting incidents of looting, including the World Food Programme, which lost supplies worth $13-$14 million.