Minister Reviews Nile River State Health situation
Khartoum – Sudan Events
The Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Haitham Ibrahim, revealed that 36 suspected cases of cholera had been recorded in the Nile River State with two fatalities.
A press statement following the joint meeting he chaired today, Friday, with health leaders in the state, in the presence of Dr. Amal Ahmed Majzoub, Director General of the Ministry of Health in River Nile State, and a number of directors in the state.
The Minister of Health said that the indicators showed the emergence of some epidemics in the country, including the cholera epidemic in Gadarif and Khartoum last September, and before that in Gezira, the White Nile, the Red Sea and Kasala.
The Minister pointed out to federal and state interventions to help contain the epidemic, the most important of which are vaccination, environmental sanitation measures and food safety and water, in addition to health promotion interventions.
The minister pointed out that the cases which were reported in the Nile River State, have been monitored in three localities, and that most of the cases were in most of them in Al-Damer locality in the Sidon region.
He said the federal and the emergency management and epidemic control teams in the state paid a field visit, explaining that the reason was the stagnant water pools on Atbara River.
The Minister stressed the need for concerted efforts to implement and support health activities and intensify awareness and education about epidemic diseases, stressing the importance of the role of environmental health management and its interventions that contribute to reducing the spread of cholera epidemic.
He added that preventive guidelines should be applied including covering food utensils, washomg hands, reporting suspected cases, and avoiding the use of untreated water.
The Minister directed the activation of therapeutic protocols in cholera treatment centers, pointing to the health risks facing the state in mining areas and the large number of displaced people which is a situation requiring raising preparedness and increasing health interventions. He underlined the need for regular environmental sanitation campaigns in all localities of the state in addition to the continuation of health promotion operations.
Dr Haitham said the state has adequate pharmaceutical supply of intravenous solutions and medications, and that he stands ready to providing support to health care.
