Cases of deadly meningitis are surging in eastern Chad, killing nearly 12% of children who catch it in an area housing hundreds of thousands of war refugees from neighbouring Sudan, Medecins Sans Frontieres said on Thursday.
Measles is also spreading in the border town of Adre, where an increase in arrivals in recent weeks has left camps overcrowded, making it easier for diseases to spread, the medical aid group said in a statement.
Out of 212 children admitted to MSF facilities with meningitis from March to April, 25 had died, "a shocking case fatality rate," MSF added.
"Every day, we see children arriving with severe measles, often complicated by pneumonia, requiring urgent hospitalisation," Isabelle Kavira, MSF medical activity manager in Adre, said.
High bed occupancy rate
"At the same time, bed occupancy for meningitis is close to 100%, saturating our capacity and compromising care for other conditions."
More than 1.3 million Sudanese refugees are living in neighbouring Chad, according to UN figures, including survivors of mass killings and famine in Darfur.
Most arrived since the start of the conflict in Sudan between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in April 2023.
Chad's health ministry and MSF staff have given emergency vaccinations to more than 95,500 children against measles and to 337,800 people against meningitis in the most affected areas, the charity said.
