Health committee urges Kassala to declare fever area

The parliamentary health committee has confirmed the spread of fevers in Kassala state. One hospital has reportedly received hundreds of cases and recorded numerous deaths.

A member of the health committee strongly criticised the state government in a press statement yesterday, and called on it to declare Kassala as a disaster area.

Last week health authorities in Kassala also confirmed the spread of viral fevers. The medical director of Kassala hospital, Dr Abdel Jabbar, said that the hospital in the state capital has refrained from receiving any more cases.

Doctors said that the fever in Kassala is Chikungunya*, transmitted by mosquitoes of the Egyptian eugenics, for which there is no cure, with the treatment focused on alleviating the symptoms. They claimed the disease is especially dangerous for children, the elderly, diabetics, and heart patients.

Accumulated waste

Restaurant and cafeteria owners in Kassala have showed their concern about the spread of flies in mosquitoes following the accumulation of waste in the town. The legislative council of Khartoum state has considered summoning the state minister of health, Mamoun Humeida, and the head of the high council for environment for a hearing concerning the waste and spread of mosquitoes.

Meanwhile residents confirmed to Radio Dabanga the overcrowding of the health centres in the various districts with patients, where El Borno district health centre is receiving about 150 cases a day. They explained that the symptoms of the disease include severe fever accompanied with severe pain in the joints and difficulty of movement.

A listener also reported the spread of the disease in the districts of West El Gash and El Halanga.

* Chikungunya Key facts (Source: WHO): Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. It causes fever and severe joint pain. Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash. The disease shares some clinical signs with dengue and zika, and can be misdiagnosed in areas where they are common. There is no cure for the disease. Treatment is focused on relieving the symptoms. The proximity of mosquito breeding sites to human habitation is a significant risk factor for chikungunya.