Two people have died and 45 others are infected with hepatitis, according to medical sources in Bau, Sudan’s Blue Nile state.

The outbreak in this area follows the spread of the condition throughout the Maban county refugee camps in South Sudan’s Upper Nile, where the majority of residents are from Blue Nile state.

Sources reported that a medical team was sent to the area by Sudan’s Ministry of Health with the purpose of conducting an assessment of the spread. 

Director General for the Blue Nile state ministry of health, Dr Amir el-Sheikh Hussein, confirmed in a press statement the relative stability of public health in the state.  “The disease is now confined to a populated area of Bau and its outskirts,” Hussein claimed.

He attributed the outbreak to poor hygiene and lack of facilities for sewage disposal, treatment and management.

He also confirmed that the disease is not considered an epidemic and claimed that it was brought under control by investigation team along with with clinical treatment.  The Director General stressed the need to develop a clear plan for the upcoming season in order to comprehensively address the issue of epidemiological diseases.