16 Central Darfur children dead from mystery disease

Last week 16 children at the Garsila camps for the displaced in Wadi Salih locality, Central Darfur, died of an unidentified disease. Speaking to Radio Dabanga, a Garsila camp sheikh reported that seven children died in the Jebel camp, four in Riyadh camp, and five children in the Ardeba camp. “The children were suddenly hit by high fever and vomiting. At the health centres of the camps, their cases were diagnosed as malaria, as usual when the cause is unclear. They received anti-malaria treatment, after which they die the following days.” The sheikh appealed to the health organisations in Central Darfur to intervene and “save the children’s lives”.  Shortage of medicinesIn North Darfur’s Tawila camp, the displaced complain of an outbreak of diseases, and a lack of medicines. A camp sheikh told Radio Dabanga that the medical centre run by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF), “the only centre serving the area”, ran short of medicines a week ago. “There are many patients in the camp in need of health care and medicines, especially children and pregnant women.” He appealed to the authorities to “allow and support MSF to supply medicines as soon as possible to the area”.  File photo: Health centre in Abu Shouk camp, North Darfur (Albert González Farran/Unamid) Related:Seven children die of diarrhoea in Central Darfur (8 August 2014) Central Darfur displaced ill because of dire sanitary situation (23 July 2014)Unknown fever hits South Darfur camp (9 July 2014)