WHO: Sudan mortality far too high
(CNN) -- A survey conducted by the World Health Organization and Sudan's Ministry of Health in two states in Sudan's Darfur region concludes that death rates among internally displaced people still surpass the threshold for a humanitarian emergency.
Some 1.2 million people in Darfur have fled their villages and are camped in 129 settlements in an area the size of France.
The "crude mortality rate" that is usually used to define a humanitarian crisis is one death per 10,000 people per day, the WHO said in a written statement.
The survey found the crude mortality rate to be 1.5 deaths per 10 000 people per day in North Darfur, and 2.9 in West Darfur.
The survey looked at overall deaths and their causes between June 15 and August 15.
"Results show that displaced people in North and West Darfur are dying at between three and six times the expected rate," the WHO statement said.
"The results, along with the other information gathered by our staff, tell us that the people in Darfur need more assistance. Thousands, including thousands of children under five, are dying every month from diseases which can be easily prevented and treated. Increased and better focused action is now vital," said Dr. Lee Jong-wook, director-general of the WHO.
The survey found that diarrhea -- often caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation -- is linked to the deaths of half to three-quarters of the children under five.
Crowded conditions, a shortage of clean water, inadequate latrines, insufficient soap "and the mire caused by rain-soaked mud mingling with excreta, have combined to make hygiene an impossible goal for people living in small, tarpaulin-covered huts," the statement said.
Injuries and violence were linked to 15 percent of the deaths.
In the months since Sudan eased visa and access restrictions, U.N. agencies, non-governmental organizations and the government itself have increased the delivery of relief assistance.
Last month, food was provided for more than 900,000 displaced people and 700,000 now have access to clean water, the statement said.
Nearly 30,000 latrines have now been built, and 127 health facilities are providing services to 950,000 people, it said.
