Eight diarrhoea deaths in Sudan’s Sennar

Eight people died of acute watery diarrhoea in El Suki, Sennar state, over the weekend, according to medical sources. Blue Nile state has the highest mortality rate of Sudan.

The hospital in Sinja, the state capital, has received 18 new cases from around the city. The total number of cases number 260, a medical source reported in yesterday's news.

The Sudanese parliament's Health Committee chairwoman, Imtithal El Rayah, said that there has been a rise in the mortality rate from acute watery diarrhoea infections, to 27 people. These include 26 cases from Blue Nile and one in Sennar.

On Sunday, the death toll of diarrhoeal cases in Blue Nile rose to 23.

Speaking in parliament, El Rayah denied the outbreak of cholera in the states, but stressed there is an increase in the number of diarrhoea infections in Blue Nile's El Roseires, and a decrease in Ed Damazin.

A doctor of El Roseires hospital reported last week that there were no new diarrhoea cases reported.

There are cases of watery diarrhoea among the elderly in Kassala, Nile and Sennar, the chairwoman said.

Warnings

Meanwhile the Health Ministry in Khartoum has warned people against drinking water from unsafe sources and eating food that may be contaminated by the parasite from street vendors.

In neighbouring South Sudan, Unicef reports that as of 25 July, a total of 294 suspected cholera cases including 17 deaths have been reported nationwide.

Diarrhoeal infections are spread through contaminated food or drinking-water, or person-to-person as a result of poor hygiene. The spread can be prevented through early detection and confirmation of cases.