Sudan’s Sennar state has recorded more than 1,000 dengue fever infections as residents struggle with rising medical costs and inadequate mosquito-control measures, local media reported on Thursday.
According to health emergency committees, 1,033 confirmed cases and nine deaths were recorded between January 1 and September 27, 2026.
Sinja reported 381 infections, followed by Sennar with 380, East Sennar with 126 and Abu Hajar with 81. Health workers believe the actual number of infections could be significantly higher because of limited testing and underreporting.
Residents told the Sudanese news outlet Ayin that entire families were falling ill, while stagnant water, poor sanitation and frequent electricity outages were contributing to mosquito breeding.
Volunteers criticised what they described as insufficient public health interventions and the high cost of treatment.
However, Sinja Hospital director Safaa Abdel Rahim said health authorities had launched mosquito-spraying and awareness campaigns, adding that essential treatments were available free of charge or at subsidised rates in public facilities.
Health volunteers warned that infections were spreading into surrounding communities and called for urgent measures to eliminate stagnant water and expand access to affordable healthcare.
