Sudan’s Darfur grapples with severe measles outbreak amid ongoing violence

A Doctors Without Borders (MSF) official warns Sudanese families who have been forced to flee the war-torn Darfur region are dealing with a dangerous measles outbreak that is quickly spreading.

The group has been “overwhelmed” by measles cases arriving each day at the Nyala Teaching Hospital in South Darfur, where MSF provides paediatric and maternal healthcare, according to Dr. Ali Almohammed, an MSF emergency health manager, according to Al Jazeera on Monday.

Almohammed said in an interview from Amsterdam, “We have 25 beds]in] isolation for measles, but the number of cases is rising daily.”

“MSF has a really limited capacity to meet the needs of the people in Darfur. We can’t cover everything. Yes, we are attempting to provide the best medical care, but our resources are also constrained, he said.

In recent weeks, violence between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has risen precipitously in the western region of Darfur and neighboring areas.

After the RSF seized control of El-Fasher, the state’s capital, in late October after an 18-month siege, more than 100, 000 people have fled their homes.

UN and other humanitarian organizations have stressed that trapped civilians lack medicines, food, and other essential supplies and have recently received a warning from the UN that Darfur has become “the epicentre of human suffering in the world.”

more than 1,300 brand-new cases

Since September, more than 1,300 new measles cases have been reported in Darfur, according to MSF.

Measles, a highly contagious virus, causes high fevers, coughing, and rashes.

According to a fact sheet from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is particularly dangerous for children under the age of five because it can lead to serious health issues.

MSF reported this week that while nearly 179, 000 Sudanese children had been vaccinated against the disease over the course of the past six months, only a small number of the 5 million people who are at risk.

Due to the ongoing conflict, the organization claimed that it is unable to operate in most of North Darfur, including El-Fasher, or East Darfur.

Almohammed also cautioned that Darfur is currently experiencing a “drop in the ocean” of vaccines, including those that are necessary for other preventable diseases like diphtheria and whooping cough.

MSF claims that there have been “significant administrative and bureaucratic hurdles” as well as ongoing violence in the shipping of vaccines.

The organization’s statement read, “We urge authorities to immediately remove all bureaucratic and administrative obstacles to the transport of vaccines throughout Darfur.”

“Unicef needs to coordinate efforts to increase the transport and delivery of vaccines, syringes, and the necessary supplies at the same time.

Healthcare is attacked.

Meanwhile, Sudanese healthcare facilities have experienced worsening conditions for both civilians and medical personnel.

Out of 73 health workers who had been detained by the paramilitary group, nine were released from detention on Saturday, according to the Sudan Doctors Network, according to the Sudan Doctors Network.

The network called for the release of all detained medical personnel and civilians without exception despite recognizing the action as a “positive” step.

Since the start of the conflict in mid-April 2023, according to the World Health Organization, attacks on healthcare facilities in Sudan have resulted in 1, 858 fatalities and 490 injuries.

In recent months, Nyala has detained at least 70 health workers and roughly 5, 000 civilians, it added.