Eastern Sudan’s Kassala State has been affected by the spread of chikungunya fever or “Kenkasha fever”, as it is known locally, with at least 9300 people having contracted the disease. In the absence of official figures on the actual number of the victims, activists reported that the number of people died of the disease ranges between 78 and 116 people, not 11 people as reported by authorities.

Media sources told Radio Dabanga that:”the number of patients admitted to health centers and private clinics in the eastern Sudanese State is still on the rise,” complaining that the Ministry of Health distributes painkillers only.

Activists activated hash tag “Kassala is dying” on the media sites, condemning the State Government failure to react to social media, which called on the authorities to declare Kassala city a disaster zone.

For her part, Sudanese Health Minister Ms. Suad Karib said during her visit to Kassala that the Chikungunya epidemic is in its final stage.

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides for freedom of opinion and expression. Article 39 (1) of the Sudanese Constitution states that: every citizen shall have an unrestricted right to the freedom of expression, reception and dissemination of information, publication, and access to the press without prejudice to order, safety or public morals as determined by law.

Source: Dabanga Sudan