Kassab – almohagig
The Ministry of Health and Social Development in Gedaref State, from the city of Kassab in Western Galabat Locality, launched today a significant campaign to combat disease vectors under the slogan (The fight against kala-azar starts from home), focusing on activities to combat kala-azar (also known as Visceral Leishmaniasis and the Black Fever) and continuing for a month, covering the state’s localities.
The Director General said during his address to the campaign program that kala-azar is one of the recurring health problems, and combating it requires the cooperation of all parties.
He stressed that the rates of kala-azar infection have significantly increased, accompanied by increased deaths and disruption of production. He noted that the state recorded 1,000,000 cases in the first quarter of this year, compared to 750 cases during the same quarter of last year.
About 400 staff are participating in the campaign for 300 million pounds.
It begins with combating sand flies and their activity inside and outside homes, working to follow instructions, using impregnated mosquito nets, and regularly spraying operations, indicating the importance of awareness in combating disease vectors.
He said that his ministry seeks to address the problems and challenges related to kala-azar through the comprehensive general conference, which it will hold with the participation of the overlapping areas, partners and donors.
For his part, Mr Yasser Babiker Al-Hajj, Executive Director of the Eastern Galabat Locality, pointed out the great suffering of the locality’s citizens due to the spread of kala-azar disease and the effects left by the cessation of the control campaigns during the last period.
He directed the citizens of the locality to cooperate and benefit from the campaign, thanking all the efforts that contributed to the campaign’s establishment.
Mr Ali Muhammad, Executive Director of the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, Gedaref Branch, announced the Society’s support for the campaign’s activities in cooperation with its partners, based on the Society’s role in supporting government agencies and considering kala-azar as one of the deadly diseases spread in Gedaref State, thanking the Ministry of Health with its various departments for their great cooperation in implementing the Society’s activities.
Meanwhile, Mr Muhammad Abkar Daoud, Director of the Environmental Health Department, stated that the campaign would cover all parts of the state through four active sectors to combat sand flies, in addition to another sector to combat vectors of other diseases through various spraying methods and early detection of cases to reduce the density of disease vectors and reduce infections, appealing to citizens to cooperate with spraying teams.
