For more on Sudan’s response to the nationwide surge of monkeypox cases, VOA’s Nabeel Biajo spoke with Laila Hamad el-Nil, the director of Infectious Diseases under the Ministry of Health.
The interview was edited for brevity and clarity.
VOA: How many Monkeypox cases have been confirmed in Sudan?
el-Nil: Sudan has 16 confirmed cases, of which eight are in west Darfur and two in Khartoum.
VOA: What have you been able to establish regarding the origin of the Monkeypox cases in Sudan?
el-Nil: From all the reported cases, 13 cases are locals who have not travelled outside the country.
VOA: Are some the reported cases from Um Rakuba resulting from Ethiopian refugees?
el-Nil: Yes
VOA: What is the Ministry of Health and its partners doing to respond to the Monkeypox outbreak?
el-Nil: We have meetings at least three times a week with partners such as the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières and other non-governmental organizations.
We are working together on several programs such as, contact tracing within communities, reporting and capturing cases which are reported to the Ministry of Health.
