Doctors Without Borders: Measles Outbreak in Darfur Reaches Alarming Levels

Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) has warned that the measles outbreak in the Darfur states has reached alarming levels, with thousands of children infected amid weak routine immunization efforts and a worsening humanitarian crisis due to the ongoing war.

The organization called for urgent, comprehensive vaccination campaigns across Darfur, warning that any delay in response could lead to more deaths and the further spread of other infectious diseases.

In a statement, Cecilia Greco, the organization’s medical coordinator in Central Darfur, said the first cases of the outbreak were recorded in Rokero, Central Darfur, about a year ago, but the disease has since spread to other areas, reaching as far as Woutine, in eastern Chad.

Greco added that the organization’s teams have treated around 10,000 people infected with the disease, including 35 reported deaths.