HIGHLIGHTS
An outbreak of Hepatitis E virus has been declared in Sortony, North Darfur, with 134 suspected cases of Acute Jaundice Syndrome reported.
Since early June, 74 cases of suspected measles have been reported among refugees and the host community in Al Lait, North Darfur.
About 80,000 people have been affected by heavy rains and flooding across Sudan in 2016.
An estimated 115 families remain displaced following unrest earlier this year in Um Tajok, West Darfur.
Hepatitis E outbreak in Sortony, North Darfur
Some 134 cases of suspected Acute Jaundice Syndrome (AJS) have been reported since May 2016 in Sortony, North Darfur, according to the State Ministry of Health (SMoH), the international NGO (INGO) Médecins Sans Frontières-España (MSF-E), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the national NGO (NNGO) Anhar for Peace Development Organisation (ANHAR). Sortony hosts over 21,000 people who were displaced from Jebel Marra following hostilities earlier this year. Seven samples sent for analysis tested positive for Hepatitis E virus, and an outbreak of Hepatitis E has been declared in Sortony internally displaced persons (IDPs) site, North Darfur State by the SMoH.
AJS is an epidemic-prone, water borne disease with a faecal-oral route of transmission through contaminated water and can be a symptom of different epidemic-prone diseases including dengue, hepatitis A or E and yellow fever. AJS outbreaks mostly occur in areas where people live in cramped conditions, with poor water supply and insufficient sanitation and hygiene facilities, such as Sortony. The current rainy season is likely to contribute to unsanitary conditions due to overflowing latrines and related contamination in living areas, and the outbreak may continue if the issue of overcrowding is not addressed.
Humanitarian health, water and sanitation partners are working with the SMoH to address the causes of AJS and diarrhoea cases in Sortony. Efforts aimed at containing the outbreak include strengthening health promotion-related activities and improving water quality through chlorination. In addition, water quality surveillance and vector control activities have been strengthened, and active case finding is ongoing. Drugs and medical supplies to cover two months were provided to health clinics run by MSF-E and ANHAR with support from WHO, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and SMoH.