Yellow fever continues to claim lives

The death toll as a result of the yellow fever epidemic in West Darfur has risen to 47, while the total number of infections reached a number of 157, Radio Dabanga learned on Wednesday November 21. Ahmed Ishaq Yaqoub, West Darfur’s Health Minister, told Radio Dabanga that two people passed away on Wednesday as a result of the fever, thus bringing the death toll to 47. He added that the state of West Darfur did not experience any issues with the vaccines so far; however, he claimed that some of the centers remain empty due to the remote location. The minister explained that the campaign will continue for 11 more days, which he considers to be sufficient for vaccinating all citizens in West Darfur’s four localities. Yaqoub announced that all schools in the state have been visited and all pupils have been vaccinated in the meantime. West Darfur’s health minister added that he visited the localities of Foro Baranga and Habila on Wednesday to check the conditions of the hospitals and to ensure that all patients are received and vaccinated. He appealed to the citizens in the affected localities to go to the vaccination centers, Ahmed Ishaq Yaqoub added from El-Geneina. North Darfur At the same time, Abu al-Abbas Abdullah al-Tayyeb, North Darfur’s Health Minister, told Radio Dabanga that 250.000 doses of the vaccine have arrived to the state. He claims this is not sufficient to cover all the affected areas, adding in a press statement that the vaccines will be distributed to the localities adjacent to the regions where the disease is still spreading. The minister announced that the vaccination campaign will start on Wednesday and will continue for 12 days in the localities of Sreif and Saraf Omra, he added to Radio Dabanga. Photo: Staff members of the Teaching Hospital in El Geneina, West Darfur, receive the first vaccination treatment on Yellow Fever -Photo by Albert González Farran- UNAMID