Red Sea state Health Ministry: Three die of unidentified fever in Port Sudan

The director-general of the Red Sea state Ministry of Health has confirmed the outbreak of an “unidentified fever” in Port Sudan. It has led to the death of three people. The number of infected is not yet clear.

According to journalist Osman Hashim, at least 100 people in the Red Sea state capital have been hit by the fever.

“The disease causes dizziness, headaches, and joint pain, with symptoms similar to those of haemorrhagic fever,” he said.

“Dr Ali Khidir, a medical professor at the Red Sea University, said that the name of the fever is Egyptian fever because the mosquito was found among Egyptian mummies,” Hashim told Radio Dabanga.

He explained that most of the cases were reported by health centres in Port Sudan. “As the city districts count about 50 health centres, the health authorities still do not know the number of all the patients.”

The journalist added that the mosquitoes that cause this fever, “according to the information available”, are day mosquitoes that live in stagnant water which you find in the city’s water reservoirs and in-house water pitchers.

“The reduction of infections depends on raising awareness among the people and spraying campaigns to get rid of the mosquito,” he said.

Haemorrhagic fever

Voluntary work activists in Port Sudan reported outbreaks of unknown fevers, believed to be haemorrhagic (severe dengue) fever, in a wide area of the city two weeks ago.

They told Radio Dabanga that the Port Sudan Hospital wards were full of people with fever, while a large number of the infected prefer to receive treatment in their homes.

The activists warned for a worsening situation in the event the health authorities in the state do not take measures to contain the disease.

According to the WHO, in 2017, the Sudanese Ministry of Health reported an increase in the number of suspected dengue fever cases during the period between 2 October and 8 December.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported in its biweekly humanitarian bulletin in December last year that a total of 137 suspected cases, including three deaths, were reported from Khartoum, East and West Darfur, South Kordofan, River Nile and El Gezira states, Kassala and Red Sea states in this period.