South Darfur trains Ebola response teams
Rapid response teams in Sudan's South Darfur State received training to detect Ebola at borders with Central African Republic and South Sudan.
South Darfur State in Sudan last week trained rapid response teams to guard against Ebola outbreaks at its borders with the Central African Republic and South Sudan. Teams from Um Dafuq, Al-Sunta, Buram, and Al-Radom localities attended the workshop to strengthen surveillance and early detection. Dr. Abbas Hassan Shams al-Din, director of the Emergency and Epidemic Control Department, stated the trained staff must maintain high preparedness.
The state health ministry organized the training due to Ebola's spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, according to Dr. Mustafa Al-Barmaki, a ministry director. He described Ebola as a viral hemorrhagic fever that spreads through close contact. The ministry prioritizes epidemic prevention through surveillance and early detection, urging trainees to report suspected cases promptly.
Dr. Badr al-Din al-Sharif, the WHO coordinator in Darfur, noted Ebola was first identified in 1976 in what is now South Sudan. He mentioned that while preventive vaccines exist, new variants may emerge. The current strain lacks an established treatment, though one is in trials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The disease has killed about 45 percent of infected individuals, with healthcare workers at high risk.
Why it mattersSouth Darfur State is taking precautions against the spread of Ebola from neighboring countries.