At least 80 people have died of dengue fever and hundreds are reported to have been infected in Sudanese states, amid deteriorated health services and scarcity in medicinal and pharmaceutical supplies, the Doctors Syndicate report.
Khartoum: Altaghyeer
States in Eastern and Central Sudan, are currently reported to be plagued with outspread of dengue fever causing the death of hundreds and infection of thousands, the Syndicate said.
The Syndicate said dengue fever is widely spread in a way that makes it difficult to make an inventory of the causalities and infections under the current war situation.
The Syndicate has urged the Ministry of Health to shoulder its responsibility by providing the required logistic, medical and technical resources to combat the epidemic.
The Ministry has meanwhile said in press reports that 15 people have died in the Gezira State, bordering Khartoum and Al Gadarif States, because of the disease.
Local community activists say at least 80 persons died of dengue fever in Al Gadarif State, east Sudan.
Hospital and medical sources said the number of the victims is probably higher as many patients do not follow the routine protocol in such situation and, for financial and technical reasons, they do not go to lab for tests and they just take malaria medications. This is mainly because dengue fever symptoms are somehow similar to malaria. However, it is known that dengue fever is caused by a virus transmitted to the human through Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Along with dengue fever, malaria represents huge burden on the health system in Sudan. About 2.7 million people; 5% of the population, were infected with malaria in 2022 according to the WHO.
Experts attributed the recent spread of fevers to environmental degradation, one of the consequences of the ongoing war as garbage and contaminated water provide a suitable breeding ground for insects that help transmit such epidemics and water borne diseases.
