Crisis in Eastern Chad: Meningitis and Measles Devastate Refugee Camps

In eastern Chad, deadly meningitis is wreaking havoc, with nearly 12% of infected children succumbing to the disease in a region bustling with Sudanese war refugees, Médecins Sans Frontières reported on Thursday.

The border town of Adre is particularly hard-hit; measles cases are also escalating as recent influxes of refugees have overcrowded camps, creating breeding grounds for disease, the organization emphasized. The medical charity revealed that out of 212 meningitis-hit children treated from March to April, 25 perished, marking an alarming fatality rate.

Isabelle Kavira, MSF’s medical activity manager in Adre, highlighted the challenges, as daily arrivals of children suffering from severe measles complications, like pneumonia, continue to rise, pushing bed occupancy for meningitis cases to full capacity and straining overall care quality.

According to the U.N., over 1.3 million Sudanese refugees residing in Chad include victims of Darfur’s atrocities. Many have fled since the conflict erupted in April 2023 between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Efforts to curb the health crisis are underway as Chad's health ministry and MSF have vaccinated more than 95,500 children against measles and 337,800 individuals for meningitis in the hardest-hit regions.