Dengue fever and acute watery diarrhoea outbreaks have "killed hundreds" in war-torn Sudan overwhelming the country's health system that is already on its deathbed.

The Sudanese doctors' organisation issued a statement warning that the health situation in the southeastern state of Gedaref, which borders Ethiopia, is "deteriorating at a horrific rate," with thousands ill with dengue fever.

PHOTO | COURTESY Hundreds dead from from dengue fever

Despite being spared the direct consequences of the horrific fight between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Gedaref has been affected by mass displacement and other humanitarian issues.

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According to the UN, more than five months into the conflict, 80 percent of Sudan's hospitals are out of service.

PHOTO | COURTESY dengue fever patients

Even before the war, the country's weakened healthcare system struggled to cope with periodic disease epidemics that coincided with the country's rainy season, which began in June, such as malaria (endemic in Sudan) and dengue fever.

According to the UN, the situation has deteriorated substantially this year, with Gedaref hosting up to 250,000 internally displaced persons.

PHOTO | COURTESY women sitting outside

"The hospital's beds are all full, but the cases keep coming in, particularly children," a medical source at Gedaref Hospital told AFP on condition of anonymity for his own safety.

"But the number of those receiving treatment at home are much more than those at the hospital," he said.