Two people from Darfur died of yellow fever in Raja hospital in South Sudan’s north-west. County health officials have 2,000 vaccines on hand to combat the outbreak, which has claimed at least 134 lives in Darfur.

Dr. Yasser Biajo, the director of the Raja county hospital, said that the two victims came from South Darfur in October.

He added that the hospital now has 2,000 vaccines against the disease, while 4,000 are expected to be brought from Nairobi, and another 6,000 are planned by the state health ministry in Wau.

He explained that these vaccines will be transported to the border areas of Raja county for prevention of yellow fever because the border has just opened between South Sudan and Sudan, making it easy for the epidemic to spread across the border.

The hospital director was speaking today at a county coordination meeting chaired by the deputy and acting commissioner Paul Pastole.

He also reported there were about 125 deaths from diseases reported in the month of November from the different payams (districts), especially in the ones where there are refugees and displaced people.

He said that these people died from measles, malaria and yellow fever, citing especially Timsa payam, Firga payam, Sere Malaga and Boro Medina, which are remote parts of the county near to the border.

Dr. Biajo noted also that 6 died of an unknown disease in Zanzaber payam. “It was reported to my office by the emergency health surveillance the area. This can be addressed to find out what type of disease,” he said.

The yellow fever epidemic in Darfur has affected at least 518 people and claimed at least 134 lives, according to state health ministries.

Yellow fever is "an acute viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes," the World Health Organization states on its website. There is no cure for the disease, only prevention by vaccine and treatment of symptoms if the disease is contracted.

UN Photo: The father of a patient infected with yellow fever in El Geneina, West Darfur, 14 November 2012