Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has hit hard both the affluent and poor countries. The objective of this article is to highlight the efforts of the Ministry of Health in Sudan in mitigating the pandemic and reflecting on counteracting factors. Methods: We traced the reports and plans of the Federal Ministry of Health and looked at the models projecting the pandemic in Sudan. Results: The fundamental plan of the government of Sudan to cope up with the pandemic included the control of the source of infection, blocking transmission, and preventing the spread. The response mechanism had a multi-sector approach with involvement of government, civil society organizations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The action plans involved protocols for COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment, surveillance, epidemiological investigation, and management of case contacts. However, several factors continued to jeopardize the mitigation efforts of these plans. At the time of writing this article (at the end of the May 2020), there were about 4,000 confirmed cases, 300 recoveries, and 170 deaths. Although these numbers are below the projected numbers in many proposed models, in the light of the limited testing capacity, case identification and contact tracing, the exact situation might not be ascertained. Conclusion: Sudan has prepared a national plan to prevent and contain COVID19 pandemic. However, tremendous challenges are opposing these efforts. The poor health infrastructure, fragility of the health system, and the economic crisis are the major obstructions.
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Elmadhoun, W., Sulaiman, A., Altayeb, N., Awadalla, H., & Ahmed, M. (2020). COVID-19 in Sudan: Will the mitigation Efforts win against the Virus?. Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences (SJMS), 15(3), 259–269. https://doi.org/10.18502/sjms.v15i3.7130
https://doi.org/10.18502/sjms.v15i3.7130
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Wadie Elmadhoun
Wadie Elmadhoun
Faculty of Medicine, Nile Valley University, Sudan
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Amel Sulaiman
Amel Sulaiman
1Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine- Nile Valley University – Sudan, & Family Medicine Academy, Qassim Health Cluster, Al Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia
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Nassma Altayeb
Nassma Altayeb
Health Emergency and Epidemics Control Directorate, Federal Ministry of Health & Department of community Medicine Sudan International University - Sudan
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Heitham Awadalla
Heitham Awadalla
Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine- University of Khartoum– & Federal Ministry of Health -Sudan
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Mohamed Ahmed
Mohamed Ahmed
Department of Medicine, Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Eaglestone, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, UK
Published Date
- Sep 30, 2020
COVID-19 in Sudan: Will the mitigation Efforts win against the Virus?
Abstract
References
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[5] WHO. Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak Situation. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
[6] WHO. (March 11, 2020). WHO Director General’s Opening Remarks at the Media Briefing on COVID 19–11 March 2020. Geneva: WHO.
[7] Johns Hopkins University & Medicine. (2020). Coronavirus COVID 19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). Retrieved from: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html [accessed on May 16, 2020].
[8] Lazzerini, M. and Putoto, G. (2020). COVID-19 in Italy: Momentous decisions and many uncertainties. The Lancet, vol. 20, pp. 30110–301108. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X
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[10] WHO. (2015). Regional office for East Meditation, Countries. Key Health-related Statistics. Retrieved from: http://www.emro.who.int/entity/statistics/statistics.html (accessed on March 30, 2020).
[11] WHO. (2006). Health System Profile Sudan. Regional Health System Observatory EMRO, 1–53. Retrieved from: https://rho.emro.who.int/sites/default/files/Profiles-briefs-files/EMROPUB_EN_19610-SUD.pdf (accessed on March 29, 2020).
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[13] Noor, S. K., Elmadhoun, W. M., Bushara, S. O., et al. (2015). The changing pattern of hospital admission to medical wards: burden of non-communicable diseases at a hospital in a developing country. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, vol. 15, no. 4, e517–522. DOI: 10.18295/squmj.2015.15.04.013.
[14] Charani, E., Cunnington, A. J., Yousif, A. H. A., et al. (2019). In transition: current health challenges and priorities in Sudan. BMJ Global Health, vol. 4, e 001723. DOI: 10.1136/ bmjgh-2019-001723.
[15] Sudan-FMOH. (2020). COVID-19 Statistics. Retrieved from: http://www.fmoh.gov.sd/
[16] WHO. (2020). Critical Preparedness, Readiness And Response Actions For COVID-19: Interim Guidance, 22 March 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/publications-detail/critical-preparedness-readiness-and-response-actions-for-covid-19
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[18] Cascella M, Rajnik M, Cuomo A, Dulebohn SC, Di Napoli R. (2020). Features, Evaluation, and Treatment of Coronavirus (COVID-19). In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): NCBI Bookshelf.Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32150360/ (accessed on April 4, 2020).
[19] WHO. (2020). Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Technical Guidance: Essential Resource Planning – WHO Surge Calculators And Essential Supplies Forecasting Tool (ESFT). Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/technical-guidance/covid-19-critical-items (accessed on March 30, 2020).