Effective Implementation of Public Health and Social Measures in Sudan: Situational Analysis

Public health and social measures should respond to data about the growth of the epidemic and be implemented in a way that engages communities. Communities should be involved in helping to determine strategies for adapting measures to the local context, protecting livelihoods, and introducing appropriate relief measures to counteract the economic impact of these measures. The government should counter misinformation with appropriate risk communication and engage with communities to ensure voluntary adherence to COVID-19 response measures.

• While Sudan has 375 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of April 30, the epidemic is doubling every five days, a rapid growth rate that signals that cases may rise significantly in coming weeks. The high case fatality rate also indicates that the scale of the epidemic may be larger than detected cases suggest. A three-week lockdown has been implemented recently in Khartoum and Omdurman to slow transmission.
• There is a concerningly high level of distrust of government information, relative to other African Union (AU) Member States, which could be a barrier to effective risk communication. • There is widespread belief in several myths and misconceptions about the disease, which could lead people to believe erroneously that they are protected, or contribute to stigmatization of specific communities, such as ethnic Chinese.
• Public support for most public health and social measures is strong; however, there is significant concern about suspending prayer gatherings or closing religious spaces. Adapting religious services to meet religious needs while enabling social distancing will be a priority, especially during Ramadan.
• Personal protective measures can be improved; the rate of handwashing is very low compared to other AU Member States surveyed.
• COVID-19 has been detected in 10 of Sudan’s 18 states. Sudan has approximately 1.1 million refugees and 1.87 million internally displaced people. To date, no confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been detected in refugees or internally displaced people in Sudan. Over 90% of all confirmed COVID-19 cases are in Khartoum state.2