111 cancer deaths in Sudan’s El Gezira this year

The National Cancer Institute in Wad Madani, capital of El Gezira state, revealed the death of 111 people from cancer at El Zurra Hospital, and more than 1,200 new cancer cases during the period from January this year until mid-October. Farmers and food organisations have attributed the cause to the use of outdated pesticides and contaminated food. The El Gezira and El Managil Farmers’ Association announced this month that close to 93,000 people in the area have fallen ill with cancer and kidney problems. The non-governmental Food and Nutrition Organisation also told Radio Dabanga that the use of corrupt and outdated pesticides in El Gezira’s agricultural schemes has contaminated the food. This caused 92,955 people to develop allergies, kidney diseases and failure, as well as various forms of cancer, in the period between 2008 and 2010. Hundreds of thousands of tons of pesticides have disappeared in El Gezira state, and more than 1,500 tons of outdated pesticides have entered Sudan, several pesticide and plant protection experts stated last month. In addition, medical sources in Wad Madani’s emergency hospital revealed that the hospital receives 300 to 500 cases on a daily basis. The number of deaths ranges between two to five cases per day. The source pointed out that most of the patients who die come from neighbouring states, and that a sharp fall in the blood circulation is often the cause of death. He added that most patients complain of malaria infections, stress, and diabetes. Map: El Gezira state, south of the Sudanese capital Khartoum (Wikimedia Commons) Related: ‘Tens of thousands of cancer cases in Sudan’s El Gezira state’: farmers (14 October 2014) ‘Corrupt pesticides entered Sudan’: Plant Administration (19 September 2014)