The war of merging with epidemics

By: Mohamed Ahmed Al-Feelabi
(Environmental Specialist)

Severe damage has been inflicted on every Sudanese citizen, and on the entire ecosystem, as a result of the war that has been going on in Sudan since the outbreak of the war on April 15, 2023.

Environmental pollution is hitting the Sudanese capital and about 13 states that are suffering from bombing and renewed military operations, in light of the decline in health services due to the destruction caused by the war in the infrastructure, which was a warning of the spread of epidemics, which began with the spread of dengue fever and cholera in many parts, especially eastern Sudan, and fears are increasing due to the increase in the number of infections among the IDPs, without the ability to confront the epidemic, neither at the level of providing treatment, nor prevention and containing the epidemic through monitoring and quarantine, or providing sufficient and reliable information to prevent pressure for further spread.

It started with the spread of the acute conjunctivitis epidemic amid government secrecy, the preoccupation of official and popular media outlets with following the news of the war, and the parties’ reluctance to establish peace so that everyone could devote themselves to building after 16 months – at the time – of fighting.

The emergency rooms in the East Nile locality in Khartoum State and the Northern State recorded about (450) cases of infection with the epidemic, most of whom were unable to see doctors.
This was after the heavy rains and floods that reached areas that were far from such disasters.
Medical circles say that the acute conjunctivitis epidemic is an environmental disease that usually spreads in countries suffering from armed conflicts, where the environment reaches a high degree of pollution due to war remnants, the spread of flies, and weak government interest in environmental health.
Acute conjunctivitis is a highly contagious viral disease that spreads through the infected person’s contact with surfaces and through shaking hands, and its spread increases with people’s inability to social distance, and the epidemic is resistant to traditional antibiotics, which means that those infected will face the problem of appropriate treatment protocols. They are threatened with complete loss of sight, especially for the elderly who underwent eye surgeries in field camps.

With the increase in cases in northern Sudan, volunteers in emergency rooms in cities have established units to receive reports from the infected, and leaflets have been circulated calling for taking the necessary measures such as social distancing and washing hands with detergents when shaking hands with people.
However, these efforts by emergency rooms and humanitarian organizations are facing restrictions on work, as they must obtain work permits from the security authorities, which threaten the movement of these activists, in light of the approach of concealing the epidemic.
Added to these difficulties is the recent suspension of funding from US aid.

Now, after nearly two years of war, there is increasing talk about cholera, dengue fever, and all water-borne diseases, even malaria and fevers caused by the significant deterioration in environmental health,
and the inability of local administrations to perform their role in light of the deteriorating security situation.

Will peace come to Sudan, and will officials turn to initiatives to erase the environmental effects of war?
Let us hope.