Call for Sudan govt. to declare measles epidemic

The health sector of Sudanese Communist Party revealed a steady rise in the incidence of measles in the country this year by 158 per cent compared to 2017 and called on the government to immediately declare measles as an epidemic.

Yesterday the health sectors of the Communist Party of Sudan explained in a press conference held in Khartoum that the confirmed measles cases of laboratory testing during this year has amounted to 1,301 compared to 504 cases in the year 2017.

The cases of suspected measles during the year have increased by 100 percent compared to the year 2017, where the total number of suspected cases of measles this year is 2,732 compared to 1,412 during the year in 2017.

The health sectors of the Party reported that North Darfur has topped the states in the number of confirmed cases amounting to 415 by 32 percent of the total cases, followed by the Red Sea State 391 by 30 percent.

They attributed this to the lack of justice in the distribution of health resources, pointing to the great paradoxes in the distribution of doctors and specialists in the two states compared to the capital Khartoum.

Infection rates

The sectors called on the government to disclose the true figures of infection rates.

They also called for the investigation of the causes of the epidemic, the immediate provision and distribution of vaccines, this as well as the provision of rooms for isolation and free treatment.

They stressed the need for health education to the symptoms of disease and prevention methods in the various media outlets and the implementation of health interventions with vaccination and distribution of vitamin A to prevent the occurrence of complications immediately.

The party held the government reports about coverage of 87 percent by immunization as a lie, explaining that the coverage cases of the campaign of measles immunisation has not exceeded 59 percent confirmed cases, while 18 percent have received only one dose.

Masoud Hasan, the political secretary of the Communist Party, said that the country is turning into an incubator of various epidemics, which reflects the complete collapse of the health system, the spread of malnutrition, poverty and the deterioration of health services.

He attributed in a press conference the increase in measles rates to privatising the health sector, lifting support for health services, low federal and state spending on health in the general budget, the displacement of medical personnel, high rates of migration and poor hospital environment.

He called on workers in the health sector to organise their efforts for resistance and called on citizens to defend their right to treatment by formation of committees for the resistance.

Community medicine specialist Dr Abdelmajid Osman called for equitable distribution of health services, provision of primary health care and community participation in planning.