South Sudan records 31 measles deaths among returnee children

 Riek Gai Kok (L), South Sudan's health minister, speaks during the launch of a measles vaccination campaign in Juba, capital of South Sudan, Feb. 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Gale Julius)

Health authorities in Unity State in northern South Sudan have recorded 31 measles deaths among children aged 5-10 who recently returned from Sudan.

JUBA, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Health authorities in Unity State in northern South Sudan have recorded 31 measles deaths among children aged 5-10 who recently returned from Sudan, health officials said Monday.

Duol Biem Kueiguong, director-general of the State Ministry of Health, told Xinhua that about 700 children suffering from measles are admitted to Bentiu state hospital.

"We have recorded 31 death cases of measles, and 700 children... are admitted in Bentiu State hospital," he said.

Some pregnant returnees are also confirmed to be suffering from measles, Biem said.

"All health facilities are full of patients admitted with measles," he said. "We are conducting a measles campaign in populated areas."

On June 3, authorities in Rubkona County of Unity State declared a measles outbreak among returnees displaced by the conflict in neighboring Sudan.

A health worker administers a measles vaccine during a measles vaccination campaign at Al-Sabah Children's Hospital in Juba, capital of South Sudan, Feb. 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Gale Julius)

According to the World Health Organization, measles is caused by a virus in the paramyxovirus family, and is normally passed through direct contact and the air. The virus infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing severe disease, complications and even death.

South Sudan now hosts more than 149,000 returnees, including refugees who fled fighting in Sudan across the 12 border crossing points, according to the United Nations.

The fighting, which erupted in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on April 15 and soon spread to different parts of the country, is being fought between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Both sides have accused each other of initiating the conflict.