Nyala , March 11(Darfur 24)The Ministry of Health in South Darfur State revealed that six suspected cases of measles were recorded among children in the Um Siala area in Mershing locality, north of Nyala.
Director of the General Department of Health Emergencies and Epidemic Control at the Ministry of Health, Abbas Hassan, told “Darfur 24” that the Health Emergency Department received notification of the emergence of suspected cases of measles inside the Nyala Teaching Hospital.
He pointed out that the report was submitted by the Dutch organization Doctors Without Borders regarding a case coming from the Umm Siala area, north of Nyala.
He added: “The surveillance team was sent to investigate the case, and after a clinical investigation through the emergency surveillance staff and the treating staff, the case was determined, according to the protocol, to be measles.”
The Health Emergency and Epidemic Control Department confirmed that the suspected cases in the northern Nyala region are measles, according to clinical investigation through the emergency surveillance staff and the treating staff, according to the protocol, due to the lack of laboratory diagnosis in the state.
Abbas stated that his administration, after notifying the Dutch organization Doctors Without Borders, which facilitated the mission of the response team consisting of emergency, immunization, and treatment staff, and going to the Umm Sayala area to investigate, 5 more cases of measles were identified.
Abbas spoke about a team from the emergency departments and specialized departments heading tomorrow, Monday, to the Umm Sayala area to treat cases and conduct further active research, with the support of the Dutch organization Doctors Without Borders.
In April 2023, the main headquarters of the Expanded Immunization Administration in Nyala was looted, the main cold chains were vandalized, and small refrigerators were looted, which exposed about 100,000 doses of vaccination for children to damage and loss of expiration, in addition to the diversion of about 100 expired doses due to exposure to radiation and high temperature.
Since the outbreak of war in April 2023, children and pregnant women in Nyala have continued to face real suffering due to their lack of vaccination, which has exacerbated their health conditions.
The health authorities in South Darfur state continued to sound the alarm and demanded an opportunity to deliver vaccines to the state, but the calls have not received a response so far, especially since all children who were born after April did not receive a single dose of protection against childhood diseases.
The Department of Expanded Immunization in Nyala had indicated in previous statements that there were centers that vaccinate children with looted, expired vaccines at a fee of between ten thousand and fifteen thousand pounds per dose. It issued a call at the time to mothers not to respond to the centers that vaccinate children with these expired vaccines, the negative effects of which have actually appeared. In some children who received these vaccines.
The Department of Health Emergencies and Epidemic Control stated that suspected cases in the northern Nyala region were confirmed to be measles according to clinical investigation through the emergency surveillance staff and the treating staff and according to the protocol, due to the lack of laboratory diagnosis in the state.