Malnutrition, measles killing Sudan's children

By Mohammed Amin

KHARTOUM, Sudan

In 2015, malnutrition and measles have been the most dangerous killers of Sudanese children, especially those under five-years-old, according to the UN.

Sudan tops the global list for malnutrition, while a concurrent measles outbreak has become uncontrollable.

UNICEF representative in Sudan Shaya Ibrahim officially declared a state of emergency in the country after a recent assessment discovered that there were around three million malnourished children under five in Sudan.

Talking exclusively to Anadolu Agency, Shaya said the rate of malnutrition in Sudan is unacceptable as it exceeds the international emergency rate of 13 percent, whereas Sudan’s is 16.5 percent.

She called on donors to meet the promises they made to improve the situation in the country, especially in the Darfur region and the Red Sea state in eastern Sudan.

The World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Sudan, Dr. Naeema Hassan al-Gaseer, said that the measles outbreak has spiraled out of UN agencies’ and the government’s control.

She told Anadolu Agency that the country’s rate of measles cases is unprecedented, with nearly 3,000 cases among under-fives by the end of last July.

Dr. Naeema said that 6.3 million children have been vaccinated and another 16 million are still waiting for vaccinations.

“By the end of the last July, measles cases in the country reached 2,786 and the numbers are on the rise every day,” she said.

She called on the media “to raise awareness among the people to encourage them to vaccinate their children.”

Sudanese health ministry officials were contacted by Anadolu Agency but declined to comment on the UN statement.

A medical source from the same ministry disclosed, however, that the measles outbreak led to the deaths of at least 40 children by the end of July.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Anadolu Agency that there were nearly 3,000 confirmed cases, making it one of the worst measles outbreaks in Sudan's recent history.

- Causes and consequences

Sara Isam, a Sudanese health policy expert, said that malnutrition is the most common nutritional disorder in developing countries such as Sudan and remains one of the most common causes of child mortality.

“Given that the total number of malnourished in Sudan is over 2 million annually , the number of moderate cases in 2015 was 1,455,735 and the number of the severe cases 555,203 – we can say that the situation in Sudan is alarming,” she said.

“In North Darfur, 28 percent of children suffer from acute malnutrition – almost twice the UN’s ‘emergency level,’” she continued.

Sudan’s rate of child mortality remains very high and the situation of children across the country remains critical, she added.

“The key drivers of this dire situation are the high incidence of communicable diseases among children, particularly measles and malaria, and lack of access to basic services such as quality health care, safe water and sanitation facilities,” she said. “The ongoing conflict, displacement and food insecurity continue to fuel and exacerbate the situation.”