Shangil Tobaya, April 11 (Darfur24)
The death toll from a measles outbreak in Shangil Tobaya, North Darfur, has risen to 11 after five more children died in the past two days, as infections continue to spread rapidly in the town and surrounding displacement camps.
The local emergency room stated in a brief statement on Saturday that 67 cases have now been recorded in the isolation center, with additional suspected infections being monitored in homes due to limited medical capacity.
According to the statement, five deaths and nine new infections were recorded within just 48 hours, highlighting the accelerating pace of the outbreak and the severity of complications among patients.
Field teams reported a continued deterioration in health conditions across neighborhoods and camps, with the disease affecting both children and the elderly.
Residents told Darfur24 that the situation has been worsened by a shortage of qualified medical staff, medicines, and diagnostic tools, alongside fear among families of transferring patients to isolation centers.
Mohammed Ibrahim, a resident, said some families have resorted to traditional herbal remedies or attempted to transport patients to Nyala city for treatment, despite difficult conditions. He noted that health workers have confirmed a severe lack of medical supplies, testing equipment, and vaccines.
A social supervisor at Shaddad camp, who requested anonymity, said the outbreak has spread widely among both children and adults, amid a near-total collapse of available healthcare services and the high cost of travel to Nyala.
She added that local authorities have so far been unable to respond effectively to the crisis, with most of the burden falling on the emergency room teams working to track and manage cases.
The emergency room called for urgent intervention by humanitarian and health organizations to contain the outbreak, appealing for the immediate provision of medicines, vaccines, trained medical personnel, and advanced testing equipment.
The outbreak in Shangil Tobaya comes amid a broader spread of measles across Darfur and Kordofan, with recent cases also reported in Labado in East Darfur and Kalimando in North Darfur, raising fears of a wider public health emergency.