South Sudan News

Juba, 14 December 2017:  Cholera in South Sudan remains an important public health problem which has affected 21 571 people and resulted in 462 deaths since the onset of the outbreak on 18 June 2016. This has been the longest and largest outbreak in magnitude and geographical extent, its impact exacerbated by the protracted crisis, insecurity, displacements and declining access to safe drinking water and sanitation.

Juba, 11 December 2017: With the aim to achieve the target of zero transmission, the South Sudan Guinea Worm Eradication Programme (SSGWEP) was established in 2006 with 20 581 cases reported from 3 320 endemic villages. In November 2017, the country celebrated its first full year with no indigenous cases of the disease.

‘A terrible itching, blister formation and emergence of a long worm are the first signs and symptom of Guinea worm disease,’ says Mr Evans Liyosi, WHO Representative a.i. for South Sudan. 

Juba 11 December 2017: In South Sudan, cholera continues to hit communities already made vulnerable by disasters such as conflict and hunger catastrophe.

In 2017, South Sudan braced the most protracted and biggest cholera outbreak. The outbreak was first detected in July 2016 and since then over 21 000 cholera cases and 462 deaths (CFR 2.14%) have been reported from 27 Counties countrywide.

Juba, 1 December 2017:  With the theme “Right to Health”. ‘Everyone with the Right to Realize the highest attainable standard of Health without Stigma and Discrimination’, the national commemoration of the World Aida Day was officiated by H.E the Vice President, James Wani Igga on 1 December 2017 at Nyakuron Cultural Center in Juba.

Juba, 04 December 2017—Six million people in South Sudan—well beyond the half of the population (56%)— were estimated to be severely food insecure in September 2017, out of which 40 000 in humanitarian catastrophe. The current harvest season, between October to December 2017 is expected to reduce the number of people experiencing food insecurity to 4.8 million. However, the situation could worsen next year exposing multiple locations across the country to high risk of famine due to poor harvest. In 2018, 1.1 million children under five are expected to be malnourished.  

Juba, 1 December 2017:  Every second, someone in the world needs blood. Blood transfusion is one of the therapeutic procedures performed during hospitalizations and undoubtedly helps patients who are injured, having surgery, receiving treatments or are being treated for diseases that affect the blood.

Juba, 1 December 2017 – The Ministry of Health (MoH) with support from the World Health organization (WHO) and partners has commenced the implementation of a road map to introduce and institutionalize National Health Accounts(NHA) in South Sudan. The NHA is a framework for measuring total national health expenditures including public, private, and donors. It provides key indicators that are used to diagnose the ‘financial health’ of the health system. NHAs are the main source of data on money flows in healthcare and are used both for national and international purposes.

Juba, 29 November 2017: “I believe I gave birth successfully because I came to the hospital and followed all the advice given to me,” said Nyangouk Dot a thirty-four-year-old mother who came to the Kuajok maternity complex in early labour.

Fully aware of her previous losses at birth, the midwives at the maternity complex immediately admitted and managed her condition.  The seven months’ pregnant mother gave birth to a healthy baby boy and smiled to the doctors and midwives who have been attending to her regularly during her admission at the hospital.

Juba, 24 November 2017:  South Sudan took an important step in the global fight against HIV/AIDS with the launch of a new ‘Treat All’ and HIV Testing guidelines to end AIDS. South Sudan also joins the countries in Africa to have implemented Treat All recommendations among adults and adolescents in more than 50% of treatment sites in the country.

Juba 23 November: The fight against viral hepatitis is gaining momentum in South Sudan. The government with technical support from WHO, has embarked on a long and treacherous journey to eliminate viral hepatitis in the country. WHO in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and experts from Universities, medical specialists, public health professionals from MoH, and partners validated the draft practice guidelines for health professionals as well as the draft National plan to combat viral hepatitis.