Miscarriages and whooping cough in West Darfur camps

The displaced people living in Armankul camp in Sirba locality, West Darfur, have complained of the high rates of miscarriages among pregnant women, the outbreak of whooping cough in addition to a lack of medicines and health care. The coordinator of the Sirba camps reported to Radio Dabanga that seven pregnant women suffered from miscarriages during a week’s time. He attributed that to the “lack of health care and treatment amid malnutrition”. An “outbreak of whooping cough with symptoms of severe coughing and convulsions” has plagued the camps. The leader revealed that the state’s Ministry of Health has visited the camp, took samples from the patients and promised to bring them medicines, “but that has not happened so far.” Humanitarian organisations have not shown up nor offered any help to the camps. He appealed to health organisations to diagnose and contain the diseases. The most recent reported whooping cough outbreak by the World Health Organisation (WHO) dates from November last year, in El Sareif locality in North Darfur. At least two people died from the disease. File photo: Woman resting in El Sereif hospital, in North Darfur. (Albert González Farran / Unamid) Related: Whooping cough outbreak and measles cases in Darfur (2 November 2013)