Outbreaks of cholera and dengue fever have been reported in eastern Sudan, where thousands of people have fled to crowded camps, the WHO says.
Outbreaks of cholera and dengue fever have been reported in eastern Sudan, where thousands of people have fled to overcrowded camps amid deadly clashes between the country’s army and a rival paramilitary force, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.
According to WHO, 162 suspected cholera patients admitted to hospitals in Qadarif province and other areas along Sudan’s border with Ethiopia. Eighty cases have been confirmed and 10 people have died from cholera, a bacterial infection linked to contaminated food or water, the WHO said.
Sudan was plunged into chaos in mid-April when tensions between the army and the powerful paramilitary group led to war in the capital, Khartoum, and other parts of the country.
Doctors Without Borders has set up two centers to treat cholera patients along with two mobile teams in Qadarif. WHO and the UN refugee agency renovated the cholera isolation center at Qadarif Teaching Hospital, the province’s main medical facility.
The WHO also said that more of 500 suspected dengue cases reported across Sudan, most of them in urban centers in Qadarif. Dengue fever is caused by the dengue virus that is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes.
The number reported was “the tip of the iceberg” as the real number is much higher, given that most patients are treated at home and often do not go to hospitals, the WHO said.
Source :Skai
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