Sudan chikungunya epidemic: Security agents block blood donation

At least 40 people died of chikungunya fever in eastern Sudan’s Kassala last week. Security officers stopped blood donated by people in El Gezira from reaching Kassala. Three chikungunya cases were reported in Northern State.

On Thursday, a young girl died of the mosquito-borne disease in Kassala Hospital, a medical source told Radio Dabanga.

He said she was the 40th patient who died in Kassala town last week.

Doctors operating in the various health centres in Kassala locality complain about a severe shortage of beds for the many chikungunya patients, intravenous fluids and medicines.

One of them described the situation on social media as “disastrous”, and called for the urgent provision of necessary aids.

A spokesman for the Kassala state government told the press on Tuesday that about 11,000 people were infected in the state during the past weeks. He affirmed the statement of the Governor of Kassala who said that there have not been any documented cases of death.

Blood

On Friday morning, agents of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) stopped three ambulances loaded with blood en route from El Gezira to Kassala without explanation.

The Kassala Blood Bank does not accept blood from the town’s population because of the epidemic there, medical volunteers in El Gezira explained.

Families of chikungunya patients in Kassala had appealed for blood donations, as reserves sent from Khartoum and other states are running out.

Dongola

Three cases of chikungunya fever were recorded in Dongola in Northern State last week.

The head of the Epidemiology Department in the state told the press that the three patients admitted at Dongola Hospital came from Kassala. Two of them responded well to the treatment and have been discharged.

Radio Dabanga reported on Friday that more than 50 cases of chikungunya fever were recorded in Red Sea state during the past 10 days.