Gedaref, September 26(Darfur 24) Authorities in Al-Mafaza locality in Gedaref state, eastern Sudan, closed the Al-Tunidba camp for Ethiopian refugees, following outbreak of monkeypox cases.
The local commissioner, Othman Abdullah, confirmed to Sudan Tribune on Sunday that three cases of monkeypox had appeared in the refugee camp, which was confirmed by the state’s Ministry of Health.
The refugee camp, located to the west of Gedaref, houses around 25,000 refugees, according to the refugee commission’s statistics.
The commissioner said that as soon as the cases appeared, he took a decision to close and isolate the camp from the rest of the locality, especially the Tunidba area adjacent to it at a distance of 5 kilometers, and noted that the health authorities had embarked on health measures represented in environmental sanitation, control of entry to the camp, as well as campaigns to educate citizens about the risks and prevention of disease.
The Ministry of Health in Gedaref State announced that three cases of monkeypox had been recorded in Al-Tunaida, and that it had received reports of the emergence of 60 suspected cases from the Ayat Organization in the camp, in addition to two suspected cases in the “Umm Rakoba” camp, west of Gedaref, which includes 21,000 refugees, according to official statistics.
Director of the Health Emergency and Epidemic Control Department Anwar Banga announced in press statements an emergency meeting with organizations working in refugee relief and relevant authorities to discuss preparations to confront the disease.
Medical sources say that monkeypox is transmitted through droplets and contact, and its symptoms are fever, back pain and lymph nodes.
Gedaref State is home to four main refugee camps spread out in the various directions of the state, and is home to nearly 100,000 refugees of Ethiopians, Eritreans, Somalis and other nationalities.