Report of the Sudan Medical Service.

  • Sudan. Medical Service.
Date:
[1935]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Sudan Medical Service. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    11/116 (page 5)
    These areas had not been affected by the epidemic of 1934. The northern part of the Kowalib hills had a few cases in 1934 just at the end of the epidemic, and was infected again in the latter part of this one. In the Nymang Hills of Hilling District a serious outbreak began in February, 1935. There had been a small outbreak at Fassu in 1934 confined to one hill. This year however, the disease was widespread, 33 villages being infected. In spite of strict quarantine precautions and picketing of roads the disease spread from the Nymang Hills westward to Abu Zabad area. The spread was actually traced to one man who had evaded a police post, and contracted the disease on his arrival at Shifr. Eastern Kordofan began to have cases at the end of January. This area had been badly hit in 1934. No less than 155 villages were infected then. It is noteworthy that, although the epidemic in 1935 was in roughly the same area, in only 25 villages of those infected in 1934 did cases occur again, while 28 new villages suffered. In contrast to this, in the Nuba Mountains it was found that the areas affected in 1934 were in almost all cases completely free in 1935, the disease in some cases starting practically where it left off in 1934. El Obeid again was infected ; it has been infected each year since 1930. A mild epidemic occurred in Central District and spread in May to northern Kordofan. The spread was very rapid in spite of the long distances between villages, but, fortunately, infection being late in the season, the casualties were not great before the close of the epidemic at the beginning of the rains. The measures taken may be divided into general and therapeutic 1. General measures were : (a) Propaganda aimed at getting early information of new outbreaks. (b) Propaganda aimed at encouraging the people themselves to take prophylactic measures such as keeping out of doors, avoiding crowds, not visiting sick people, avoiding people from infected villages and so on. The custom of general visitation of the sick is undoubtedly a big factor in the spread of cerebrospinal meningitis, and one which is very difficult to stop. (c) Complete evacuation of villages. (d) Quarantines were established for the sick and separate ones for contacts. These were under the supervision of medical staff, police, and watchmen. This staff made daily visits to the villages to see that people were not returning to their houses, kept up propaganda work and sent reports as to the progress of the disease to the head¬ quarters of the districts. (e) In El Obeid it was possible to make more stringent regulations with a view to prohibiting burials without a medical certificate, the holding of dances, etc.