Sudan: Kala-azar Outbreak - Feb 2022

On 12 February 2022, the Director of the Department of Vector Control at the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Gedaref State released an appeal statement of emergency to control the alarming increase of Visceral Leishmaniasis (Kala-Azar) cases. The report indicated a continuous increase of cases throughout 2022 with 302 cases and 8 deaths only for January compared to the previous year’s showing cumulative data of 2,973 cases with 69 deaths registered in 2021. Historically, Kala-azar (visceral leishmaniasis) is a significant major health problem in Sudan and particularly in Eastern Sudan. Gedaref state has a total population of 1.4 million, spread over 75,000 km. 495,680 individuals in 245 villages are identified to be more at risk. (IFRC, 7 Mar 2022)