23 Sep 2020; MEMO: Eight people have died in Sudan’s Northern State of an unknown fever, the Sudanese Ministry of Health has revealed.
“The ministry received a report on Saturday concerning 41 cases of fever in the Northern State, including eight deaths,” said an official statement. It added that a medical team has been sent to investigate the cases and try to identify the disease that caused the deadly fever. “Samples were taken for laboratory examination to confirm the diagnosis, and to strengthen interventions to prevent and control the disease.”
Sudanese doctors expect the cause to be found in the contaminated floodwater that has engulfed large parts of the country in recent weeks. Stagnant water can lead to outbreaks of serious diseases such as cholera, dengue fever or malaria.
Since June, 121 people have died in Sudan and 54 others have been injured as a result of flash floods. On 5 September, the Sudanese Defence and Security Council designated the country a “natural disaster area” and declared a three-month nationwide state of emergency.
