A measles outbreak combined with severe malnutrition is becoming “deadly” for Sudan, the World Health Organisation warned on Thursday.
The country is braced for the rainy season and a rise in waterborne diseases, as the war drives Khartoum's medical infrastructure close to collapse.
Two-thirds of hospitals in the capital have been affected by the conflict and are not functional, with medical workers displaced, and those remaining suffering from attacks and a severe lack of funding, WHO representative in Sudan Dr Nima Saeed Abid said from Port Sudan.
At least 1,100 people have been killed since war broke out between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudan's army on April 15, Dr Abid said, although the numbers are “very underreported” because only functioning hospitals are providing figures to the WHO.
“The public health impact is huge because organisation activities have stopped. We also currently have a major outbreak with 30 deaths,” he said.
This outbreak has spread to 10 states, affecting two – the Blue and White Nile states – more than others.
Other diseases are also a threat.
“Vector control activities have stopped. Malaria, dengue fever, Rift Valley fever – all of these are endemic in Sudan,” he said, with an upcoming rainy season increasing their risk.
Speaking from Chad, which is hosting nearly half of the 850,000 people who have fled Sudan, the WHO's Dr Jean-Bosco Ndihokubwayo said 65 children under the age of five have died due to severe malnutrition.
“Severe malnutrition brings up depression of the immune system and combined with measles … has huge effects,” he said.
Refugees have also arrived across the border from Sudan with “trauma, gunshot wounds, long-delayed illnesses and other effects of infection outbreaks,” said Dr Magdalene Armah, Incident Manager for Sudan crisis.
She also warned about the spread of malaria, cholera and yellow fever in combination with malnutrition and high levels of mental health issues.
The WHO has repeatedly sounded the alarm about the major lack of funding in its operations to deal with Sudan crisis, with only $20m out of its required $178m being met.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The Vines - In Miracle Land
Two stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
Wonka
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Liverpool's all-time goalscorers
Ian Rush 346
Roger Hunt 285
Mohamed Salah 250
Gordon Hodgson 241
Billy Liddell 228
MANDOOB
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