|
Written/Submitted by Pachodo.org News Room
|
|
Wednesday, 18 April 2007 08:39 |
Juba - A meningitis outbreak that has swept across south
Sudan since the start of the year has killed 661 people, while dozens more have
died from measles and cholera, a report said on Tuesday.
The joint report
by the semi-autonomous south Sudan government and the World Health Organisation
said more than 11 000 people had contracted meningitis since the start of 2007.
Another 5 218 people had exhibited cholera-like symptoms of acute
watery diarrhoea, and of those 140 died.
A measles outbreak has also
killed at least 14 people and infected 470 this year despite a vaccination
campaign that has seen two million south Sudanese children inoculated against
the disease, the report said.
Meningitis outbreaks affect Sudan during the dry season,
and the disease has spread more rapidly since a 2005 north-south peace deal
ended two decades of civil war, easing movement as the region's health
infrastructure remained in tatters.
Hundreds of thousands of south
Sudanese returning home after the peace deal are especially at risk because they
often live in crowded camps where infectious diseases can thrive.
Sudan
is also part of the so-called "meningitis belt" that stretches from East to West
Africa.
Meningitis is an infection of the thin lining that surrounds the
brain and spinal cord. Often transmitted by coughing or sneezing, it can cause
complications including brain damage and deafness.
About 5-10 percent of
patients die from the illness, according to the WHO.
 |
Disclaimer: The articles, views and comments expressed on Pachodo.org website are solely those of the authors and does not necessarily represent those of Pachodo.org.
جميع الآراء والتعليقات المطروحة علي موقع فشودة دوت اورق تمثل وجهة نظر كاتبها وليس بالضرورة وجهة نظر الموقع
