A measles outbreak in Labado, East Darfur state, Sudan, has killed approximately 70 people and infected about 1,000 others since March, according to local crisis unit coordinator Mohamed Abdel Aziz. The figures are disputed by the state's health director, Dr. Jabir al-Nadeef, who reported 300 cases and 26 deaths.

Hawa Adam, 37, lost her two-year-old son Ali on February 27 after he fell sick two days earlier. “I thought it was one of the ordinary childhood diseases,” she told Al Jazeera. She attributes his death to the absence of basic medical care, noting that most doctors left after the war broke out, and those with means seek treatment abroad in South Sudan or Uganda.

The outbreak has affected 12 residential neighborhoods in Labado, home to about 12,000 people, including internally displaced persons. Abdel Aziz said medicines at the government health center ran out on February 23, and private pharmacies charge unaffordable prices: intravenous fluids cost 8,000 Sudanese pounds ($20.50), and antibiotics range from 10,000 to 15,000 pounds ($25.60–$38.40).

Dr. al-Nadeef confirmed that measles has struck four districts of East Darfur. Vaccines arrived from Chad via UNICEF on April 11, and a vaccination campaign is scheduled from April 18 to 24. He said all areas have been supplied with vitamin A for prevention and treatment, but families must purchase medicines for complications.

Asmaa Jalaluddin, 28, took her three-year-old daughter Mashaer to the Labado health center on April 8, but was told no medicines were available and directed to travel 40 km north to Shuairiya. There, on April 10, Mashaer received fever reducers and vitamins and began to recover.

UNICEF spokesperson for Sudan, Eva Hinds, said measles cases continue across Darfur, with insecurity, displacement, damaged health facilities, and disruption to routine immunization constraining the response. Measles vaccination coverage has fallen to 46%, and routine immunization dropped to 48% in 2024.

UNICEF has completed a measles-rubella catch-up campaign in Central and West Darfur and parts of North and South Darfur, reaching about 2.1 million children. Vaccination in remaining areas, including East Darfur, is scheduled for mid-to-late April, aiming to reach nearly 750,000 children.

For families in Labado, the calendar offers little comfort. In the al-Nil neighborhood, three siblings buried their children within days of each other over the Eid holiday. “Those without money die in Darfur,” Hawa Adam said.

Source: www.aljazeera.com