An outbreak of hepatitis E in two districts in eastern South Sudan has killed at least 12 people, South Sudan’s Ministry of Health said in a statement today, warning that the disease is spreading to other parts of the African country. Read: Does drinking coffee help protect your liver?This is what experts say
The reports said the cases occurred in Jonglei state and the Greater Bibor region, with “mostly women of childbearing age” and an unknown total.
He noted that the above-mentioned authorities had been alerted about the outbreak of the disease by humanitarian agencies working in the area, and that tests conducted in collaboration with Doctors Without Borders “confirmed the presence of cases in Jonglei State and Pibor Region.”
“Since mid-September, the death rate has reached 12 cases, mostly in the Fangak district of Jonglei state,” the statement said.
He stressed that “the average age of those affected is 33 years old and the majority are men”, without specifying the exact number, but stressed that “of the 12 deaths recorded, eight were between the ages of 24 and 25. Women between the ages.” Read: They can be fatal: These are the damages caused by hepatitis B and C
It is one of the least-known types of hepatitis, and its symptoms include yellowing of the skin, dark urine and extreme fatigue.
Water contamination and lack of hygiene and adequate sanitation facilitate its spread.
To prevent the spread of the disease, the head of state of one of the continent’s poorest countries called on people to “take precautionary measures, especially washing hands with soap and drinking clean water.”