Hemorrhagic fever cases increase in Sudan's Kassala

CAIRO – 15 November 2017: Cases of hemorrhagic fever in the eastern Sudanese city of Kassala have increased among the population this year to reach over 70 cases until October, Sudanese press outlets reported Tuesday.

Last week, medical sources told Sudanese press that there were two cases of persons suffering from hemorrhagic fever who died at Kassala Hospital about two weeks ago, bringing the total number of deaths to three in one month.

Hemorrhagic fever has a case fatality rate of up to 90 percent, according to the World Health Organization. It can be transmitted to people from animals, mosquitoes and through human-to-human transmission.

The incubation period for the disease is usually between two days, with a maximum period of 21 days.
Medical reports show that hemorrhagic fever appears in Sudan each year. This year, medical sources warned of a "possible outbreak" of hemorrhagic fever in the Red Sea Tokar state in northeastern Sudan.

Viral hemorrhagic fevers are a group of illnesses caused by four families of viruses. These include the Ebola, Marburg, Lassa fever, and yellow fever viruses. Hemorrhagic fevers have common features of affecting many organs, damaging the blood vessels and affecting the body's ability to regulate itself.