Kala-Azar cases on the rise in Sudan’s Gedaref State: WHO
May 18, 2022 (AL-QADARIF) – At least 303 Kala-azar cases, including 91 cases among children under the age of five, and eight associated deaths have been reported in Sudan’s Gedaref State since January, putting the case fatality rate at 2.7 per cent, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
Also known as Visceral Leishmaniasis, Kala-azar, is a life-threatening disease caused by Leishmania parasites transmitted by female sandflies. The disease causes fever, weight loss, spleen and liver enlargement and death, if not properly treated.
A situational analysis shows Kala-azar is endemic in Gedaref and over the past couple of years the number of cases in the state has been on the rise.
According to a recent report from the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) and Red Crescent Societies, about 2,100 cases of Kala-azar were reported in 2019, 2,136 cases in 2020 and 2,973 cases in 2021 in Gedaref.
A total of 8 deaths were reported for January alone compared to the previous year’s cumulative data of 2,973 Kala-azar cases with 69 deaths.
Also, 2,137 cases with 38 deaths from Kala-azar were recorded in 2020 while 2019 witnessed 29 deaths and a total of 2,098 cases, according to WHO.
Meanwhile, on February 12, 2022, the Director of the Department of Vector Control at the Ministry of Health in Gedaref State issued an appeal statement of emergency to control an alarming increase in Kala-azar cases.
The state ministry of Health’s report and available information attributed the rise in cases of the disease to the natural conditions that reportedly provides an appropriate conducive environment for the vector’s survival, including cracked ground soil, Acacia and Heglig trees, which are abundant in the area.
Lack of medical staff, inadequate training, continuous stock out in medicines, lack of vector control activities, lack of funding for health promotion and community awareness activities, lack of health partners and government’s willingness to support Kala-azar projects were cited as key challenges in the eradication of the disease.
(ST)