South Sudan News

Wau, WBG State – The Minister of Health, Hon. Sarah Cleto Rial and the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to South Sudan, Dr. Humphrey Karamagi, conducted a two-day high-level field visit to Wau to reaffirm government and partner commitment to strengthening health services in the region.

Article by Dr Humphrey Karamagi, WHO Representative for South Sudan

As the United Nations marks its 80th anniversary on 24 October under the theme “Building Our Future Together,” South Sudan also stands at a defining moment. This young nation holds immense potential, yet one still carrying the weight of recurring crises. In such moments of uncertainty, health becomes more than a service, it becomes the foundation for peace, resilience, and hope.

There is little time for introspection when one is constantly putting out fires of all sorts. That is why the theme: ‘Mental health in humanitarian emergencies’ for this year’s Mental Health Day speaks directly to the realities we face in South Sudan. 

Juba- The Ministry of Health (MoH), in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), today launched an ambitious integrated health campaign to protect over 2.1 million children and 1.2 million adults from two debilitating diseases, polio and Schistosomiasis.

Juba - On 7 July 2025 an extraordinary inter-ministerial meeting on Cholera convened at the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management. The high-level meeting was co-chaired by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Hon. Albino Akol Atak, the Minister of Health, Hon. Sarah Cleto Rial, and the United Nations Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator (DSRSG/RC/HC) of South Sudan, Ms. Anita Kiki Gbeho.

Juba – South Sudan is taking a significant step forward in protecting its children from Measles with the nationwide introduction of the second dose of the Measles Containing Vaccine (MCV2) into the routine immunisation schedule. The two-dose regimen is part of the 2017 recommendations by the World Health Organisation to all countries. As of 12 August 2025, South Sudan will be the 45th country in the African Region to introduce MCV2.

Juba – South Sudan faces recurring public health threats from infectious disease outbreaks to climate-related emergencies such as floods, drought and heat waves. As of August 2025, South Sudan had active outbreaks of Anthrax, Cholera, Circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Virus Type 2 (cVDPV2), Viral Hepatitis E, Measles and Mpox. At the same time, floods had inundated 16 health facilities and displaced more than 56,000 households with nearly 200,000 people.

Juba, 12 August 2025 – Malaria is endemic across all regions of South Sudan. As part of the efforts to prevent and control this disease, the Ministry of Health, with support from the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, Gavi and JSI, launched the introduction of the malaria vaccine in 28 counties with the highest malaria burden in July 2024.

Juba—The ongoing rainy season in South Sudan is slowing cholera response efforts in some locations, raising concerns about further transmission and undermining progress the country has made so far in combating the outbreak.

Al Sabbah children hospital is the only tertiary referral children’s hospital in South Sudan with a stabilization center receiving children with severe acute malnutrition from all parts of the country. This translates into the high demand for medical supplies and equipment for the hospital to be able to tend to the one thousand children coming to the center each month.