/ 20 August 2004

More cases of deadly hepatitis reported in Darfur

Relief agencies in the troubled Sudanese state of West Darfur have set up a working group to monitor and coordinate activities to stem the spread of hepatitis E as cases of the disease continue to be reported, the United Nations said.

The UN, in a update issued on Thursday, said more cases have been reported in the areas of Mournei, Kerenek and Foro Buranga. The three towns host large concentrations of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have fled their homes as a result of attacks by militia and fighting between Sudanese government forces and rebels.

The deadly viral infection was first reported on May 22. Twenty-seven people had died across the Darfur region by August 15, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said. More than 1 000 had been affected.

Most of those infected were female and suffered from jaundice, fever, abdominal pain and vomiting. Some were in comas.

Apart from strengthening surveillance, the mass chlorination of water, an aggressive hygiene campaign, construction of pit latrines and provision of safe drinking water especially to pregnant women have been undertaken, the WHO said.

Hepatitis is a waterborne disease usually transmitted through water that is contaminated with faeces. It kills 5% of those infected and is especially dangerous to pregnant women. According to the WHO, refugees and IDPs living in overcrowded camps are at the highest risk of infection.

The WHO said it is conducting additional field investigations aimed at enhancing control measures and gaining a better understanding of how the virus is transmitted in the IDP and refugee camps.

Last week, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) warned that unless immediate action is taken to avert the spread of the disease in Darfur, it could spread quickly among the hundreds of thousands of IDPs living in camps with poor sanitation.

It said while hepatitis E usually has a fatality rate of 1% to 4%, the virus is several times more lethal when it infects pregnant women.

”This strain of the disease can be fatal for up to 20% of pregnant women and is particularly dangerous for those in their third trimesters,” Henia Dakkak, a doctor working for the UNFPA, said in a statement.

In one camp where the virus has been detected in West Darfur, the UNFPA said, six of the eight people who died were pregnant women.

”But this outbreak highlights the urgency of greater international support for all sectors, from food to water and sanitation to health care,” said the UNFPA’s executive director, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid.

Meanwhile, the WHO said the incidence of malaria in Darfur is on the increase. Between July 3 and August 6, about 104 000 cases were reported in the IDP camps. While 80% of the Sudanese people already lived in malaria-endemic areas, the IDPs, especially those in camps near areas that had been flooded by recent heavy rains areas, face a greater risk. — Irin