MSF, UN warn of measles surge in Darfur as vaccines fail to arrive
December 21, 2025 (ZALINGI) – A rapid spread of measles across Central, South, and West Darfur is threatening thousands of children due to a collapse in vaccination programs and bureaucratic delays, medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) warned on Sunday.
Supply chains for essential childhood immunizations have largely disintegrated since war broke out in April 2023. While the central government says it is working to deliver treatments, most of Darfur is currently outside state control.
MSF said it has recorded more than 1,300 cases since September at its supported facilities, calling the spike a “deadly combination” when paired with the region’s growing malnutrition crisis.
The charity urged Sudanese authorities to remove bureaucratic and administrative barriers hindering vaccine transport and called on UNICEF to better coordinate the delivery of syringes and cold-chain equipment.
The scale of the outbreak is most evident in local hospitals, where facilities are being overwhelmed by a late-year surge. In Central Darfur, Zalingi Hospital has treated 1,093 patients this year, with 78% of those cases arriving since September.
A similar trend is visible in South Darfur, where 95% of the 242 patients at Nyala Hospital were admitted in the last three months, while El Geneina Hospital in West Darfur has reported 429 cases throughout 2025.
Roughly one-third of these patients also suffer from acute malnutrition, which MSF says significantly increases the risk of fatal complications such as pneumonia and brain inflammation.
The profile of those infected suggests a long-term breakdown in healthcare; nearly 30% of cases involve children over the age of five, indicating that routine immunization had failed even before the current conflict began.
Ahmed Fadl, MSF emergency coordinator for Darfur, said conflict and administrative delays are leaving vulnerable children to face a preventable, deadly disease. Beyond measles, MSF teams reported treating rising numbers of diphtheria and whooping cough.
The charity and UN partners are calling for an immediate campaign targeting children between six months and 15 years old to contain the spread.