Sudanese doctors said that the number of malaria cases in North Darfur province has climbed to nearly 8,000 people in less than a month. Doctors are warning that the outbreak in the country's far-flung west may persist if the Sudanese government and international organisations do not immediately intervene. Notably, the country has seen a sharp rise in the number of cases related to mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, chikungunya and dengue following incessent rains and flash floods.
A 2017 report says that more than half the population of the world was suffering from malaria with the numbers standing at a staggering 219 million. Furthermore, 2017 recorded 4,35,000 deaths from the mosquito-borne disease.
Malaria is transmitted through the bites of female Anopheles mosquitoes. Interestingly, there are more than 400 different species of Anopheles mosquito of which around 30 are malaria vectors of major importance.
Notably, the WHO African Region continues to carry a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden. In 2017, the region was home to 92% of malaria cases and 93% of malaria deaths.
According to a report in The Morning Call, the Central Committee of Medical Laboratories, a union of the country's pathologists, released the statement recently.
Notably, the World Health Organization (WHO) has previously said malaria cases were reported in several provinces of Sudan.
Not only malaria, The Morning Call reported that Sudan is also facing a Cholera outbreak following flash floods that swept the country in late August, in the process affecting water sanitation. Last week, the UN humanitarian agency reported 124 suspected cholera cases as well as seven deaths from the disease.
The vector species bite between dusk and dawn and as the Anopheles mosquitoes lay their eggs in water, they hatch into larvae and eventually as adults. Tropical regions and sub tropics are best suited for malaria virus because transmission also depends on climatic conditions that may affect the number and survival of mosquitoes, such as rainfall patterns, temperature and humidity.
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