At least 13 children killed by measles outbreak in Sudan
Jul 03, 2023
Khartoum [Sudan], July 3: At least 13 children have died in recent weeks during a suspected measles outbreak at internal displacement camps in Sudan's White Nile state, amid conflict between the country's two warring factions, according to an international medical NGO on Sunday.
"The situation is critical. Suspected measles and malnutrition in children are the most urgent health problems," the Sudanese branch of Medecins Sans Frontiere (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, said.
In a series of tweets, MSF Sudan said: "Sudan's White Nile state is receiving increasing numbers of people fleeing the conflict. Nine camps are hosting hundreds of thousands, mainly women and children." From June 6 to 27, the NGO treated 223 children with suspected measles in White Nile camps, it said, with 72 - including the 13 who died - admitted to two clinics it supports. "We are receiving sick children with suspected measles every day, most with complications," MSF Sudan tweeted.
The NGO said it had received a total of 3,145 patients to the two clinics in the month of June, adding, "as more people arrive, there's an urgent need to increase assistance, scale up services like vaccinations, nutritional support, shelter, water & sanitation".
"The rainy season is approaching, and we're concerned about a rise in waterborne diseases and malaria endemic to the area."
Source: Qatar Tribune
