Kala-azar outbreak threatens displaced people in Sudan’s Gedaref state

November 25, 2024 (GEDAREF) – An outbreak of Kala-azar in Sudan’s eastern Gedaref state is raising concerns amidst a fragile healthcare system and a large influx of people displaced by conflict.

The disease, also known as visceral leishmaniasis, has infected 133 people in the Qalaa an-Nahl locality, resulting in six deaths, according to Abkar al-Douma Ibrahim, head of the Friends of Kala-azar and Communicable Diseases Association at al-Dahima Hospital.

“The spread of the disease among children has disrupted schooling, with 40 children infected,” Ibrahim told Sudan Tribune. Seventy women and 17 men have also contracted the disease.

The outbreak follows the recent sesame harvest, as the disease-carrying sandfly population thrives in the area’s abundant Balanites aegyptiaca “Heglig” trees and cracked earth.

Sudan’s healthcare system is struggling to cope with the outbreak. Eighty per cent of health facilities in active conflict zones are not functioning, and 45% in other areas are also out of service. The region is battling concurrent outbreaks of cholera, dengue fever, and malaria, with severe shortages in medical supplies.

Al-Dahima Hospital lacks essential medicines and diagnostic tools for Kala-azar, forcing patients to travel some 75 kilometres to Bazoura Hospital in the al-Rahad locality in Gedaref, often by tractor or motorcycle due to the difficult terrain.

Ibrahim urged the government and international donors to provide immediate support, including medical personnel, medicine, and diagnostic equipment.

Limited efforts have been made to contain the outbreak through vector control and cutting down Heglig trees, but Ibrahim said these measures are insufficient.

Over 400 people in Qalaa an-Nahl were infected with Kala-azar in 2023. This year, the area has seen a significant population increase due to an influx of people fleeing conflict with the Rapid Support Forces in neighbouring areas.