Description of the situation
14 July 2004
An outbreak of Shigellosis has been detected through the Early Warning System set up by WHO in North Darfur in the Abu Shoak Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, covering a population of approximately 40,000 people at the end of June. The outbreak started in the middle of May.
As of 30 June, 1340 cases of bloody diarrhea with 11 deaths were notified by WHO's partners, including UNICEF, Action contre la Faim, the International Committee of the Red Cross, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and Médecins sans Frontières . Of the 13 stool samples laboratory tested on 30 June, 3 were positive for Shigella dysenteriae type 1.
WHO has provided assistance for laboratory diagnosis and has trained staff for the treatment of cholera and epidemic diarrhoea.