Polio spreads in Sudan

The Ministry of Health of eastern Sudan’s Kassala reported a polio case in the state. 71 new coronavirus (COVID-19) patients were recorded in the country.

The newly appointed governor of Kassala, Saleh Ammar, described the health situation in the state as stable, but vulnerable.

He said that after being notified by the Kassala Ministry of Health that a child in the state contracted polio, he spoke with the acting Minister of Health, Sara Abdelazim, in her office in Khartoum yesterday.

In El Gezira, the Department of Health Emergencies and Epidemic Control in the state reported two suspected cases of polio as well, one in the eastern part of El Gezira and the other arrived from Blue Nile state.

The first polio cases in Sudan were reported by the Ministry of Health over two weeks ago. A few days later, nine new cases were reported. Last week, two new cases were reported in Port Sudan.

In November 2018, the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Sudan’s Ministry of Health held a three-day polio vaccination campaign in Sudan. Vaccination campaigns will start in several states of Sudan next week.

COVID-19

The federal Ministry of Health announced 71 new COVID-19 cases yesterday. One more person died. The total number of coronavirus infections in Sudan since the beginning of the pandemic in March is now 12,974. At least 819 patients died, and 6,557 recovered. The 71 new cases were recorded in Khartoum (68) and Northern State (3).

According to the Ministry of Health, the recorded infection rate in Sudan is 28 cases per 100,000, which is less than 0.03 per cent of the population.

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