South Sudan mounts a nationwide polio vaccination campaign: a massive push towards stopping the ongoing outbreak

Juba, 11 November 2024: A nationwide campaign aimed at vaccinating 3.3 million kids from 0 to 59 months of age against polio launched in South Sudan the use of the unusual Oral Polio Vaccine model 2. 

The campaign led by the Ministry of Health, with the strengthen of the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and other partners, is in accordance with the confirmation of 12 cases of circulating variant poliovirus across eight counties in Western Equatoria, Central Equatoria, Upper Nile, and Jonglei States. 

In South Sudan, immunization coverage has been impacted by population movements and displacement related to the ongoing humanitarian disaster, making it harder to reach the kids who need vaccinations the most. 

The circulating variant poliovirus cases can occur when the weakened live virus in the oral polio vaccine spreads among these that are now no longer absolutely immunized. This construct of the virus can cause paralysis. More than one doses of the vaccine will protect against each wild and the circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Viruses.

“The resurgence of vaccine-derived poliomyelitis was a shock and a substantial setback to our milestone achievement and joy introduced about following the declaration of the country wild polio-free in 2020,” said Honourable Yolanda Awel Deng, Minister of Health. “As a country, we are leaving no stone unturned in our determination to stay the transmission of poliomyelitis. Today, we are mounting this campaign with the aim of making certain that each puny one in all places in South Sudan is now no longer easiest reached with these vaccines but safe against the disease.”  

“The World Health Organization expresses profound gratitude to the government and people of South Sudan, the generous support from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partnership, as well as health partners for their unwavering support and dedication to protecting children from polio,” said Dr Humphrey Karamagi, WHO Representative for South Sudan. “This vaccination campaign is an important step in our mission to ensure polio, a disease that can be completely prevented, doesn’t threaten any child’s life. This effort shows our strong commitment to ensuring that no child is at risk of polio.”

“Every puny one has the factual to grow up free from preventable diseases, and polio is one of the most dangerous yet exclusively avoidable diseases. UNICEF reiterates its commitment to enhance the Ministry of Health and partners in delivering vaccines to each part of South Sudan so that no puny one is left vulnerable to polio,” said Hamida Lasseko, UNICEF Representative in South Sudan. 

In December 2023, South Sudan confirmed an outbreak of circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Virus Kind 2 (cVDPV2) and declared it a ‘Public Health Emergency’. To combat the resurgence of poliomyelitis in the country, two nationwide polio vaccination rounds had been successfully performed in February and April 2024, vaccinating 3.3 million kids aged 0 to 59 months all via each of the two rounds.

About the circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Virus model 2 (cVDPV2)

Circulating variant poliovirus cases can occur when the weakened live virus in the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) regains energy and spreads among these that are now no longer absolutely immunized. This construct of the virus can cause paralysis. To forestall this, all kids have to gather the oral polio vaccine all via the campaign, and all via the non-campaign time, it is mechanically given with other vaccines in the health facility. Getting a couple of doses of the vaccine will protect against each wild and circulating variant polioviruses.

At indicate, paralytic polio infections are being reported in a couple of African nations, together with Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Togo, Zambia and South Sudan.

For more information, please contact:
Ministry of Health: George Awzenio Legge, Email: georglolegge [at] gmail.com (georglolegge[at]gmail[dot]com), Tel.: +211924324875
World Health Organization: Atem John, Email: atema [at] who.int (atema[at]who[dot]int), Tel.: +211921736375
UNICEF: Richard Ruati, Email: rruati [at] unicef.org (rruati[at]unicef[dot]org), Tel: 211 921 359 578