Four more die of chikungunya in Kassala, eastern Sudan

Four people, including a child and a woman, died of chikungunya fever in Kassala. In Red Sea state, three new cases were recorded in a students’ dormitory.

A relative of one of the deceased told Radio Dabanga that the deaths were caused by a drop of the number of blood platelets.

Health centres in the various districts of Kassala town are still reporting new patients, despite a significant decrease in the number of cases.

In Jebeit in Red Sea state, three new cases of chikungunya were recorded in a dormitory of students of the Red Sea University.

“Clinics in Jebeit receive an average of seven patients a day,” one of the students told this station. He attributed the outbreak of the disease to a lack of mosquito nets.

Chikungunya is characterised by an abrupt onset of fever, frequently accompanied by joint pain. Most patients recover fully within weeks. Serious complications are not common but the disease can contribute to the cause of death in malnourished and older people.

Dengue fever

Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed in a report that laboratory tests of samples from infected people in Kassala state show cases of dengue fever along with chikungunya.

The dengue virus is carried by the same mosquitoes that carry chikungunya. The infection causes a flu-like illness, and occasionally develops into a potentially lethal complication called severe dengue (also known as Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever).

The Kassala state Ministry of Health reported that the total number of people infected with chikungunya fever was 15,944 cases until Thursday.

The residents of the eastern Sudanese state complained about a ‘terrible deterioration in health services’. They pointed out that the peripheral health centres are also experiencing overcrowding of patients.