Sudanese officials say Dengue fever outbreak kills 26

Sudanese health officials on Wednesday said at least 26 people have died from Dengue fever in one of the worst outbreaks the country has seen in recent years.

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease that occurs in tropical areas of the world, usually spreading near stagnant sources of water.

There were 460 confirmed cases of the disease and a further 3,436 suspected cases, the Sudanese Health Ministry announced on social media. The figures were dated as being recorded on Monday.

Around 20 of the deaths were recorded in the southern Kordofan region, one of the areas where the outbreak was first reported by the Sudanese Doctors Committee in early November. Several local media outlets put the official number of cases as much higher.

Dengue fever has flu-like symptoms and can often lead to organ failure and death. In 2019, an outbreak in Sudan was responsible for five deaths according to the World Health Organization.

At the height of Sudan's rainy season in August and September, flash flooding killed at least 144 people and destroyed tens of thousands of homes, along with roads and other vital infrastructure.