Juba, 30 November 2024—In response to cholera outbreaks in South Sudan, the Ministry of Health, with strengthen from the World Health Group (WHO) has secured over 282 153 doses of oral cholera vaccine to put in power vaccination campaigns in areas identified as cholera transmission hotspots.
The oral cholera vaccine (OCV) is equipped by the World Coordinating Community (ICG), which coordinates and manages the global stockpile of vaccines for international locations for the length of cholera outbreaks. These vaccines would perchance be outdated school to put in power a two-dose mass vaccination campaign in Renk and Malakal Counties of Greater Nile Insist. In the coming days, other doses would perchance be shipped to strengthen the response efforts in other affected locations. The vaccination campaign targets to mitigate the cholera outbreaks in these areas.
Procured and delivered by UNICEF’s Supply Division with the strengthen of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the vaccines would perchance be strategically deployed to Greater Nile Insist and other priority locations. This effort is share of a comprehensive prevention and response strategy aimed at addressing cholera, a severe and preventable diarrheal illness, and safeguarding the properly being of vulnerable communities.
Honorable Yolanda Awel Deng, Minister of Health for South Sudan, emphasized that “cholera prevention is a priority in areas that have been prioritized for multisectoral intervention.” The OCV campaigns are supposed to give protection to vulnerable populations and abet as a foundational step toward enforcing sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions.
Given the humanitarian crises in South Sudan and the ongoing cholera outbreaks pushed by restricted gather admission to to safe ingesting water and uncomfortable sanitation companies, a hoop vaccination strategy would perchance be employed in the context of restricted sources to maximize the affect of vaccination campaigns in addition to other response interventions together with enhanced cholera surveillance, affected person care, risk verbal substitute, and improved and sustainable WASH interventions.
Dr Humphrey Karamagi, WHO Handbook to South Sudan, highlighted, “Although cholera is endemic in South Sudan, this time WHO and partners, along with the Ministry of Health, are better prepared to contain the outbreak and reduce the transmission through targeted interventions.”
“The strategic interventions include OCV campaigns in at-risk areas, training of state-level rapid response teams (RRTs), and prepositioning and provision of diagnostic test kits and essential supplies for managing patients. These measures have enhanced surveillance and enabled prompt responses to suspected and confirmed cases”, mentioned Dr Karamagi.
“Cholera remains a major threat to the health of vulnerable populations in South Sudan, especially children and women. UNICEF is collaboratively working with the Ministry of Health and other partners to ensure increased access to life-saving vaccines through functional cold chain systems, improving water, sanitation, and hygiene, as well as behavioral change efforts to address the root causes of this preventable disease. Together, we can protect communities and build a healthier, more resilient future,” mentioned Hamida Lasseko, UNICEF Handbook.
The Ministry of Health will conduct vaccination campaigns in collaboration with WHO, UNICEF, MSF and other properly being sector companions in the affected States.
Cholera continues to pose a foremost public properly being scenario in South Sudan, exacerbated by persisted humanitarian crises affecting essentially formative years, ladies, and other vulnerable teams. The recurrent cholera outbreaks point out the persisted vulnerability of the population to the illness, which is preventable and treatable.
For added files, please contact:
Ministry of Health: Mary Denis Obat, Email: mobat43 [at] gmail.com (mobat43[at]gmail[dot]com), Tel.:+211 924 887 006
WHO: Jemila M. Ebrahim, Email: ebrahimj [at] who.int (ebrahimj[at]who[dot]int), Tel.: +211 921 647 859
UNICEF: Richard Ruati, Email: rruati [at] unicef.org (rruati[at]unicef[dot]org), Tel: +211921-359-578
