Chickenpox, not smallpox in Darfur’s Jebel ‘Amer

A number of gold miners in Jebel 'Amer have died owing to the spread of measles and chickenpox, and not smallpox, as the English website of Dabanga Sudan read on 16 March. In Darfur, chickenpox are locally named 'false smallpox', but the word 'false' was omitted in the translated reporting.

Smallpox is a deadly disease that has been eradicated worldwide in 1980, according to the World Health Organization. Chickenpox, a contagious viral disease, is easily cured in normal circumstances, and many children suffer from the disease once in their life. Chickenpox is more dangerous for adults than for children when it is not treated.

Speaking to Radio Dabanga, an activist from El Sareif town reported last week that “false smallpox and measles caused the death of a number of gold miners lately. Three others died of hemorrhagic fever.” He explained that members of the El Sareif Youth Group, accompanied by a number of health workers, visited the area two weeks ago.

The locally used Arabic word for chickenpox is jaderi kazib, which literally means 'false smallpox', but the word 'false' went lost in the translation to English. In the radio broadcast and the Arabic website, the activist mentioned the false smallpox also by the local name of "burjum".

The deteriorating health environment that results from the overcrowding of workers in the Jebel 'Amer mines has caused the rapid spread of communal diseases. As residents in Jebel 'Amer have little to no access to health care, diseases such as chickenpox can pose a threat for people in poor health conditions.