Tawila, October 12 (Darfur24)
Health sources reported on Monday a sharp increase in dengue fever cases at displacement sites in Tawila, North Darfur state, with health workers and frontline staff among those affected.
A health source from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, told Darfur24 that the outbreak was affecting medical personnel and frontline workers at hospitals and health centers serving displaced people.
The source cited overcrowding and occupational stress among health workers as factors exacerbating the situation, adding that the outbreak was placing further pressure on the operational capacity of health facilities amid growing demands on the health sector.
Dengue fever is a viral infection transmitted to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes. According to the World Health Organization, symptoms typically develop within 4–10 days after infection.
Doctors and health workers had previously warned Darfur24 about the risk of dengue spreading through displacement camps in Tawila after cases were recorded alongside a rise in malaria infections.
Tawila, which is under the control of the Sudan Liberation Movement, is one of Sudan’s main destinations for displaced people. The area currently hosts about 665,000 displaced people, most of whom fled fighting in El Fasher.