East Darfur, Sudan — Hawa Adam did not expect a childhood illness to kill her son. Ali was two years old when he fell sick on February 25 in Labado, in Sudan’s East Darfur state. He died two days later.

“I thought it was one of the ordinary childhood diseases,” the 37-year-old told Al Jazeera. “I never imagined I would lose my child to this epidemic.”

Recommended Stories

list of 4 items list 1 of 4 Guterres urges end to arms flow as Sudan war enters fourth year

list 2 of 4 After three years of war, Sudan army and RSF locked in military impasse

list 3 of 4 Who is keeping the fight alive in Sudan’s war?

list 4 of 4 Sudan’s Prime Minister: This is the path out of the horrors of war

end of list

Hawa attributes his death to the absence of basic medical care – no vaccination, no qualified doctors.

“Most doctors”, she says, “left the area after the war broke out, forcing those with means to seek treatment abroad, in South Sudan or Uganda.”

A measles outbreak has struck several Labado districts since…