KASSALA, 28 August 2007 (IRIN) - Sudan has been experiencing its worst floods ever, raising health concerns among officials, including Yakub Vaid, head of the World Health Organization's sub-office for eastern Sudan.

"Whenever there is a flood, there are three things we think about: environmental sanitation, water and outbreaks of communicable diseases," he said. These, he said, include increased cases of malaria, dengue fever and acute watery diarrhoea.

Up and down the country, the floods have claimed more than 90 lives and destroyed thousands of homes and left pools of stagnant water that breed mosquitoes, heightening the risk of malaria.

The floods also damaged latrines that, in some cases, polluted water, compromised hygiene and increased the potential for the outbreak of deadly diseases.

Officials said a strengthened surveillance system, door-to-door education in personal hygiene and public awareness campaigns, had minimised the potential for disaster.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), with the federal ministry of health, also allocated insecticides to all flood-affected areas.

"The training of local populations on vector control has also started, and 65 percent of the targeted individuals have already completed their training," the UN said.

In the eastern state of Kassala, UNICEF prepared and distributed posters advising people to wash their hands before eating, on rubbish removal and the use of mosquito nets.

It also distributed chlorine for purifying water, and other hygiene supplies.

"I think that's working, that's really working because in this type of situation, you get epidemics," Vaid pointed out.

A cholera outbreak in Sudan in 2006 killed about 700 people and affected 25,000.

In Kassala, the ministry of health teamed up with the World Health Organization and other UN agencies and NGOs to plan a response.

The cholera treatment centre near the main Kassala hospital was prepared in case of an outbreak, ready to admit up to eight patients at a time with room for 30.

"We took the precautions when we thought that this was going to happen," said Vaid. But, he added, "so far so good; [there have been] no admissions."

Cholera is spread by contaminated water or food and causes vomiting and acute diarrhoea. It dehydrates the body and can lead to death unless treated within 24 hours.

Some "3.5 million persons affected by the floods are at risk of disease outbreaks, due to their lack of access to safe water and to sanitation services", according to a UN report.

It stated that since April, 810 suspected cases of acute watery diarrhoea had been reported, leading to 57 known deaths. Nearly all the cases appeared in Gedaref State in eastern Sudan, with a handful of acute watery diarrhoea cases in Kassala.

Kassala's health minister, Babikir Ahmed Digna, said only 19 suspected cases of acute watery diarrhoea were reported, of which four tested positive.

"Two of the cases appeared at the Khamsa Arab village and two in the refugee camp [for Eritreans and Ethiopians]," said Digna. "Only four cases of acute watery diarrhoea [were reported] in the state," he said.

Vaid added: "They have been discharged. They are all okay."

The minister said that contrary to reports in the media, "we did not have a single death from cholera".

sa/mw

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