Cholera back in Khartoum North: Two cases

Two cases of cholera appeared in Khartoum North, after the capital of Sudan witnessed a relatively low infection rate for several weeks. The isolation centre in the Nierteti Hospital recorded six new cases in the past two days.

The cholera victims came from Teibat El Ahamda district this weekend and have been taken to the local emergency room, a volunteer reported to Radio Dabanga.

“The emergence of new cases may be a result of the accumulation of rainwater and dirt, and the environmental degradation in the district because of poor drainage.”

The volunteer added that the district has seen 21 deaths by cholera and more than 300 cases of infection during the past months. “Officials and representatives of the constituency in the National Assembly and the Legislative Council should not neglect the district and visit us to find out how the conditions are deteriorating.”

Cholera in Khartoum state has re-spread after seeing a significant decrease during the past month. An increase in these rates followed recent rains that caused harm to the streets and environment because of poor drainage, a source in the health sector informed Radio Dabanga. “Bashair hospital in southern Khartoum received 16 new cases of cholera,” the source said three weeks ago. “The average number of daily visits ranged from 25 to 30 cases of cholera in the past week.”

Efforts against cholera

The First Vice-President of Sudan, Bakri Hassan Saleh, instructed the efforts of the federal Ministry of Health in the fight against cholera, termed 'acute watery diarrhoea' by the government, to continue. The Minister of Health Bahar Idris Abugarda briefed the Saleh on the results of his visit to South Darfur last week.

Abugarda's visit included El Malam, Lebei and Deribat in East Jebel Marra. “Health conditions here are under control and the ministry has sent medicines and medical aids to these areas to help them fight the watery diarrhoea.”

After his visit to the Lebei isolation ward Abugarda said that the number cases of cholera has decreased to less than five reported cases a day.

Central Darfur

The cholera isolation centre in the Nierteti Hospital in Central Darfur has recorded six new cases on Monday and Tuesday. Yesterday a medical source told Radio Dabanga from Nierteti that the centre received three cases from the camps for displaced people on Monday, and received three cases from districts in Nierteti town on Tuesday.

The number of hospitalised cases in the isolation centre reached 15 until yesterday, according to the medical source. On Tuesday the director-general of the Ministry of Health of Central Darfur visited the isolation centre and brought 500 intravenous solutions.

The director-general said that a special isolation centre for women and another for children will be established, so that not all patients have to be placed in a single ward.

Follow #CholeraInSudan, #الكوليرا_السودان for ongoing coverage by Radio Dabanga