Yellow Fever Outbreak in Darfur Region-Sudan 2012, a Response to Health Crisis

Abstract

Yellow fever is highly infectious diseases and infect human through the bite of mosquitoes. So, yellow fever needs more efforts to control its transmission in both human and mosquitoes. Sudan is a limited resource and finds difficulties in controlling emerging diseases. This paper explains the situation during a yellow outbreak in the Darfur region, where long lasting conflict was occurring. This conflict is affected on the health system and it was become unable to detect infectious diseases at earlier stages. Also, we discussed the efforts that were made by world community towards controlling this disease.

In November 2012, Yellow fever outbreak has been reported in the Darfur region in Sudan. The Yellow fever disease outbreak affected 35 localities in four out of five states that comprise the Darfur region December 2012. According to the ministry of Health, 849 people have been infected and 171 (4.96%) died due to this outbreak. The objective is to study the response of different partners in controlling yellow fever outbreak in the Darfur region in Sudan. This is descriptive study, reviews the information regarding yellow fever, and collected data from different sources. Response to this outbreak was made by contribution from different sectors including the federal ministry of health and the international community. Health authorities provided the technical and partial financial assistances to stop disease spread, while the international community, representing in United Nation agencies and NGOs was provided the essential funding to vaccinate population in the Darfur region. Long lasting conflict in countries with limited resources weakened the health system and makes the surveillance unable to detect disease outbreak. Diseases outbreak such as yellow fever need rapid response in order to diagnose and control the disease. Yellow fever outbreak needs contribution of all sectors to control it.