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travel
news review
3 May '99
An
epidemic of meningococcal meningitis in the central Sudanese state of
al-Gazira is reported to have worsened over the past fortnight. The outbreak
reportedly claimed 17 victims on a single day. An acute shortage of vaccine,
which provides protection against the disease for three years, has meant
that most of the population has not been vaccinated, and the epidemic
follows an appeal by the Sudanese government last month for funds to combat
meningitis infection.
Meningitis is carried by otherwise healthy people and is passed on the
same way as a cold. It attacks the brain and can be fatal within hours,
with symptoms including fever, headache, sensitivity to light, neck stiffness,
and purple patches on the skin. It's commonly treated with large doses
of penicillin.
13 January '99
Sudan's fundamentalist Muslim government has decided to make it obligatory
for women to wear Islamic costume. The edict will apply to all women,
including foreigners, and the government will recruit a force of volunteer
policemen to enforce its decision. Women entering Sudan are advised to
cover their head and their legs, preferably to the ankle. Sudan's government
has been committed to Islamic Shariah laws - which govern all aspects
of everyday life - since 1991, and this decision was made by the general
security committee in charge of supervising the laws. Other than in the
north, much of Sudan remains inaccessible to tourists due to a prolonged
civil war. The south is reported to be under the control of Christian
groups.
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