Chikungunya fever spreading in Sudan’s Nile basin

The number of cases of chikungunya* fever has dramatically increased in Kassala, where two seniors died on Monday. The current outbreak, in which more than 6,000 people have been infected, is causing paralysis in all service facilities and the markets.

A resident told Radio Dabanga that the number of those who suffer the disease from his family and relatives alone exceeds 20 cases, while the health centres in the districts of Kassala have witnessed overcrowding. Patients line up in front of nurses to take injections and intravenous solutions.

Doctors and residents have called on health organisations and institutions to urgently intervene to save the lives of the residents, while the federal Health Minister Mohamed Abuzeid has called on the state government to provide labour to fight the disease carriers.

El Gedaref

Three cases of chikungunya fever have been recorded in El Gedaref.

On Wednesday, the state’s Emergency Committee announced an official holiday for all the locality workers to participate in the campaign against carriers of the disease and environmental sanitation targeting the locality districts.

Voluntary work activists said El Gedaref town is experiencing a deterioration in the environment and a widespread spread of Egyptian mite mosquitoes [Chikungunya virus is an alphavirus whose principal vectors are the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes] that cause chikungunya fever.

People have complained about the scarcity of medicines and overcrowding in front of the central pharmacy for medicines.

Red Sea

Health sources in the Red Sea state have confirmed the outbreak of a number of cases of chikungunya fever.

Medical sources told Radio Dabanga that the infection is transmitted by visitors from Kassala. People have called on the authorities to intervene to combat and contain the disease so as not to spread to the towns.

* Chikungunya is a virus transmitted by the same kind of mosquito that spreads dengue and Zika virus. It is characterised by an abrupt onset of fever, frequently accompanied by joint pain. There is no specific antiviral drug treatment for chikungunya. Treatment is directed primarily at relieving the symptoms, including the joint pain. Most patients recover fully within weeks, but in some cases joint pain may persist for several months, or even years. Serious complications are not common, but in older people, the disease can contribute to the cause of death