Description of the situation
22 October 1998
Disease Outbreak Reported
Between July and September 1998, an unidentified disease caused around 100 deaths in a population of 2000 in four remote villages in Meyon, southern Sudan. As soon as the outbreak was reported to WHO, a team was sent to: describe the outbreak by standard epidemiological parameters; collect specimens to allow for laboratory identification of the causative agent; implement immediate control and preventive measures as necessary; and assess whether further assistance was required. Preliminary results suggest that the disease was pneumonia with a haemorrhagic component.