Measles cases in Western Bahr el-Ghazal state’s Deim Zubeir have risen according to a medical source from the area, in spite of the fact that the World Health Organisation (WHO) have refused to confirm this without testing.

The director of Deim Zubeir healthcare center, Dr. Paulino Thomas, claimed that there are 15 cases of measles in the area, as diagnosed by their symptoms as samples sent to Wau for testing have not yet been returned.

“For sure it is measles,” the doctor claimed, “but these people said [that] the sample should be taken to Wau for more examinations.  In fact, it is measles because of the vomiting, fever, caught and red eyes symptoms among the patients which show that it’s a measles infection.”

“The cases which were in the hospital, we discharged them today morning. Since the 1^st of this month up to now, we received nearly 15 cases. The first group of nine patients which we received last time we took their samples and sent them to Wau. There are other samples here in the fridge they said that they will come and take them to Wau. There is one of their health assistants with me here working in the health centre and I am following the contagious diseases in case there is any case,” Paulino added.

He also acknowledged the recent arrival in Deim Zubeir of a WHO team in order to test new patients before making an official diagnosis of the disease.