Thousands of Sudanese and Chadians have fled Darfur and converged on the 32 entry points in eastern Chad. The crisis in Sudan has affected Chad the most, with 45.7% of Sudanese refugees and thousands of new arrivals every week. These refugees live in numerous formal and informal camps in 11 health districts across four provinces: Ennedi East, Ouaddaï, Sila, and Wadi-Fira.
In the camps, access to essential health services is disrupted due to difficult physical access and limited human and material resources. Malaria, acute respiratory infections, malnutrition, and watery diarrhea remain the most common pathologies among these refugees. However, epidemics of dengue fever, measles, chickenpox, and hepatitis E also pose a significant challenge to their health situation.
Recent reports suggest that new fighting has taken place in Sudan that could lead to new arrivals at the entry points of Tiné and Birak in Wadi Fira province. As the rainy season approaches in less than two months’ time, the health situation will become even more challenging due to torrential rains (Ouadi) that make it difficult for people to move around due to temporary watercourses.
To prepare for this eventuality, pre-positioning of health kits including cholera kits will take place before the rains arrive in the affected districts by WHO. This action aims to ensure a coordinated response from healthcare workers when faced with different public health events that may occur in these areas during the rainy season.
Overall, the situation remains dire for those living in these camps as they struggle with limited access to healthcare services while facing various diseases such as malaria and dengue fever.
In summary:
Thousands of refugees have fled Darfur and entered eastern Chad through 32 entry points. The crisis has affected Chad most significantly with over 45% of Sudanese refugees taking refuge there.
These refugees live in numerous formal and informal camps across four provinces: Ennedi East, Ouaddaï, Sila
