The ongoing war in Sudan , which has been raging since 2023, has caused various diseases to spread quickly, with the country grappling to deal with a recent measles outbreak.
Thousands of children in Sudan are currently at risk of contracting measles, which is highly contagious, with cases recorded across the country.
The worsening of conditions and the collapse of the healthcare sector in Sudan come as the war between the notorious Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army enters its fourth year.
Last month, the director general of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned that Sudan is facing one of the world’s most serious humanitarian and public health emergencies.
Nearly two thirds of the country’s 53.3 million people are in need of life-saving assistance.
So far, the Darfur region has the highest rate of measles recorded, with vaccination programmes and medication limited.
Ismail al-Adani, the director of the Programme of Immunisation at the Federal Ministry of Health told The New Arab that measles cases have also been recorded in various areas, including near the river Nile, Kordofan, Gezira and Gadarif.
"Measles cases are spreading in the South Darfur State and in displacement camps in el Obeid and Umm Dam Haj Ahmed in the north Kordofan state. All of this is due to the war, the security situation, the shortage of routine vaccines, especially in remote areas," he explained.
Since the start of the war in April 2023, violence has spread across the country, particularly in the Darfur region, causing medicine supply chains to be cut off. Hospitals have also largely stopped operating while dozens of medical and health professionals have fled due to being targeted.
As conditions worsen, routine vaccination programmes have come to a complete halt, with essential doses running out.
Reports state that pertussis (whooping cough) and polio is also rising among children.
Exact figures on the number of cases are difficult to obtain and verify due to limited access to remote areas and the shortage of medical personnel.
The South Darfur State Ministry of Health said on 26 April that it had recorded 9,025 measles cases, including 105 deaths.
However, activists have raised the alarm over children’s safety, particularly as the country has struggled to limit the outbreak of diseases for several months.
A lack of safe roads and transport routes has further compounded the issue, making access to villages and to displacement camps increasingly difficult.
A medical source in South Darfur who asked to remain anonymous told The New Arab that "the number of cases are constantly rising; we are approaching 10,000 recorded cases in cities and areas with health centres and hospitals".
The source added that reported cases represent "only a very small fraction of the actual number of infections in the state".
Many displaced people in Sudan are experiencing severe food shortages and a lack of basic services.
Amina Mubarak, a displaced mother of five from Kordofan who is currently in Nyala, told The New Arab that the situation worsens daily.
"The situation is extremely harsh. Medicines are unavailable, and the children haven’t received any vaccines since the war started. They are susceptible to many diseases".