Gastro-enteritis kills 40 in central Sudan
Date: 17-Sep-99
Country: SUDAN
The newspaper said flash floods had led to the pollution of drinking
water in the town of Managil and surrounding areas.
"The reasons for the spread of the disease are the pollution of drinking
water and the use by the citizens of infected water from the canals,"
the daily said. Managil is part of the large Al-Gezira agricultural
scheme which uses irrigated water.
Ten of the victims are from Managil and the other 30 from the
surrounding areas, Al-Rai Al-Aam quoted a Sudanese Red Cross official as
saying.
The newspaper said local health authorities had ordered the closure of
restaurants, cafeterias and other eating places to prevent the spread of
the illness, which causes the stomach to become swollen and painful and
can lead to fatal diarrhoea, particularly in children.
The newspaper said thousands of people in the area had been displaced by
the floods and were living in the open, where their health situation was
critical.
Hundreds of people are reported to have died from intestinal complaints
and diarrhoea in several parts of Sudan since the onset of the rainy
season in June.
