Cholera: 14 dead in West Darfur camp

14 people died of cholera in Murnei camp in West Darfur, while 64 people have been infected, over the past three days. A North Darfur locality recorded four deaths in a couple of days.

Six camp residents died on Tuesday, four others on Wednesday, and on Thursday four people died in the medical isolation ward of Murnei, a sheikh told Radio Dabanga.

“The reason for the increase in the number of deaths and infections in the camp is that all patients who were in isolation, have been discharged by local officials as soon as they heard that an organisation was on its way to Murnei to assess the situation of cholera,” the sheikh claimed.

“This is a wrong move that caused the spread of the disease in the camp, prompting officials to return 64 infected people to the isolation unit again, in order to receive treatment.”

Earlier this week sources in the camp said that the isolation wards have been filled with patients that prompted Doctors without Borders (MSF) to set up a new tent for isolation.

Four deaths in North Darfur

Four people died of cholera while 35 others have been infected in Ghurrat El Farajawiya in El Sareif Beni Hussein locality on Wednesday and Thursday.

A volunteer from the village told Radio Dabanga this week that 30 people from Ghurrat El Farajawiya were infected with cholera, two of whom died after being taken to the medical isolation ward in the neighbouring Ghurrat El Zawiya on Wednesday.

“Two people died in the village and seven others were infected on Thursday.” The infected cases were taken to Kabkabiya and Ghurrat El Zawiya for treatment.

“Teams of Doctors without Borders have embarked in campaigns to spray the ponds and sterilise the village's water wells on Thursday.”

This week the public health specialist at the Ministry of Health in North Darfur, Esam Osman Zakaria, resigned from the ministry in protest against the government's silence and denial of cholera. 

Two dead in Red Sea

In Tokar, Red Sea state, in eastern Sudan two people have died of cholera this week. The total number of deaths has risen to five and more than 100 infections in a week's time.

Reporting to Radio Dabanga, journalist Osman Hashim said that two people died of cholera on Wednesday before they arrived in the hospital. The number of cholera cases in the two isolation units in Tokar hospital has amounted to more than 100 people.

The hospital received more than 20 people suffering from cholera on Thursday. Most of the infections in Tokar originate from the districts surrounding the town, such as Korek, Khojali, Baghdad, and Miskeit. These districts are overcrowded and lack clean water and toilets.

Hashim: “The authorities have not intensified health awareness programmes. Meanwhile, the capacity of Tokar hospital is not consistent with the rapid increase in the spread of the disease.”

'Decrease' in Kassala

The localities of New Halfa and Atbara River in Kassala have recorded a remarkable decrease in the rates of cholera. A health source in a hospital in New Halfa told Radio Dabanga that the number of cases in the isolation ward fell down to 30 cases on Thursday. “No new cases have been recorded.”

He said that the largest number of cases arrived from Alawi, Um Najma, El Masna district, and the northern part of El Thora.

Meanwhile in Sennar state, the number of new cholera cases in the hospital of Sinja dropped to one patient on Thursday. A medical worker told this station that the hospital received one cholera case, while two cases still receive treatment there.

Follow #CholeraInSudan, #الكوليرا_السودان for ongoing coverage by Radio Dabanga