Child dies in North Darfur as dengue fever is on the rise after Sudan floods

The Ministry of Health in North Darfur announced the death of a child in the area of Um Maraheik suspected to be caused by dengue fever. At least 315 confirmed cases emerged recently in the state.

Four localities in North Darfur are affected by dengue fever, including El Fasher, Dar El Salam, and Mellit, Head of the North Darfur Emergency Committee Esam Osman told the press in the state capital El Fasher yesterday.

Osman reported that 592 suspected cases of dengue fever were tested and 315 of them turned out positive. Another 153 cases are under examination and eight patients are currently in a hospital. 

He called on the federal government and organisations to help the state fight the disease. In many places, including North Kordofan, the actual number of (suspected) cases is much higher than the number of confirmed cases.

Malaria

After the weekly meeting of the North Darfur Health Emergency Room, public health specialist Rehab Ibrahim reported that 8,861 cases of malaria were recorded. 12 deaths were recorded in each of the localities of El Fasher, El Laeit, and El Tina. 

She called on the people in the state to strictly adhere to the health requirements to limit the spread of dengue fever and malaria. Ibrahim also called on the people to take precautions against Covid-19 in the winter season, in which the coronavirus is active.

Disaster area

Cases of dengue fever and malaria are on the rise in Sudan.

In North Kordofan, where doctors recently called to declare the capital El Obeid a disaster area due to the outbreak of dengue fever, the Ministry of Health reported eight deaths among the dengue fever patients in the state on Saturday.

The Director of the Ministry of Health in the state, Ibrahim El Ansari, said that there are currently 1,200 suspected cases of dengue fever in North Kordofan. The total number of cases confirmed by health institutions amounts to 393.

Red Sea state is also witnessing an outbreak of dengue fever.

Recent floods have allowed diseases transmitted by mosquitoes to spread faster as post-flood conditions are ideal for these animals who lay their eggs on the surface of stagnant waters.

* Severe forms of dengue fever, also called dengue haemorrhagic fevers, are severe acute viral infections, usually with a sudden onset of fever, malaise, headache, and myalgia followed by pharyngitis, vomiting, diarrhoea, skin rash, and haemorrhagic manifestations. The outcome is fatal in more than 50 per cent of the cases, the World Health Organisation reports. Among the fevers recently recorded in Sudan are dengue fever and Rift Valley fever (RVF). Viruses that cause dengue fever are transmitted by mosquitoes. RVF can be acquired either by a mosquito bite or by direct contact with blood or tissues of infected animals (mainly sheep), including consumption of unpasteurised milk.