Health situation in North Darfur’s Zamzam camp deteriorating

The displaced living in Zamzam camp near El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, complain about the rapid deterioration of the health conditions in the camp after five organisations stopped their interventions last June.

An activist at the camp told Radio Dabanga that the five NGOs were working in the field of water, health, education, and non-food items. “They stopped their work in June because of a lack of funds.”

He said that since they left, the health situation has deteriorated quickly. “We are suffering from an explosive spread of mosquitoes and sand flies causing malaria and kala-azar (visceral leishmaniosis, also known as black fever and dumdum fever). The rain water pools are not being drained and the latrines cannot be cleaned owing to a shortage of water.

“Moreover, kala-azar patients now have to go to El Fasher for treatment, as we cannot keep the medication at the camp because of a lack of refrigerators.”

The activist holds the Ministry of Health responsible for the environmental deterioration and the spread of diseases, and called for the provision of medicines and mosquito nets to the women and children in the camp.

With a population of at least 150,000 displaced, Zamzam is one of the largest camps in Darfur.