More than 164,000 people have been vaccinated against diphtheria across Dongola, Addaba and Merowe as part of Sudan’s national outbreak response campaign. The three day drive targeted individuals aged five to twenty and has so far achieved 58 percent coverage.
Amani Abdelrahim, acting director of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation in the northern state, told media that the campaign is progressing smoothly and according to plan.
She confirmed that 55,303 people in Dongola have been vaccinated out of a target of 93,433, reaching 59 percent. In Addaba, 54,749 people have been immunised out of 80,213, reaching 68 percent, while 54,361 people have received the vaccine in Merowe out of 107,934, achieving 50 percent coverage.
An additional 2,921 people were vaccinated in the Al Affad and Hosh Malit displacement camps, which host families from Darfur and Kordofan.
Abdelrahim added that field teams are deployed across all targeted towns and villages, supported by logistical resources to ensure uninterrupted work. She noted that the campaign is also accompanied by intensive awareness activities aimed at delivering key health messages to the public.
She stressed that protecting children and communities from diphtheria remains a top priority for the Primary Health Care Directorate and the Expanded Programme on Immunisation. Abdelrahim praised the efforts of federal and state health ministries, health workers, partners and local communities for their strong engagement and commitment to reaching the overall target of 281,583 people across the three localities.
