Medic: Cholera ‘dangerous and catastrophic’ in South Darfur

According to reports from a medical source, 13 people died of cholera at Boronga village southwest of Kass in South Darfur on Saturday and Sunday.

The medic told Radio Dabanga that said that 45 people infected with the disease were transferred to the medical isolation centre that was prepared in the village and described the situation at Boronga village as dangerous and catastrophic requiring urgent intervention by the government.

Residents of the area also told Radio Dabanga that five other people died of cholera at Kerendi Gubba village, south of Kass last week, where the village was completely isolated and denied access from outside, or the transfer of cases to Kass Hospital.

Sennar

Singa Hospital in Sudan’s south-eastern Sennar state received five new cases of cholera on Tuesday and Wednesday.

A medical source told Radio Dabanga that two cases have been discharged while three cases have remained in the hospital receiving treatment.

Funding

In Khartoum, First Vice-President and Prime Minister Bakri Hassan Saleh instructed the Ministry of Finance and the Income Allocation and Monitoring Commission to provide financial resources to complement the efforts to combat cholera.

Health Minister Bahar Idris Abugarda said in a statement that the total number of cases of ‘watery diarrhoea’ in the country now stands at 123 people. Since the first reports of infections in Blue Nile state in September 2016, the Sudanese authorities have refused to make any reference to the disease being cholera, in disagreement with doctors, medical volunteers and civil society initiatives.

Yesterday Abugarda said in a press statement that the containment of cholera is moving quickly as the health teams intensified their efforts to contain the epidemic, with continued monitoring and follow-up efforts. The current health situation is good all over the country, the health minister said, pointing out that schools and educational institutions are well protected.

Earlier this month a volunteer of one of the cholera awareness raising campaigns in Sudan told Radio Dabanga that the reality in the hospitals is very poor, contrary to what the state media say.

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