South Sudan News

Juba, 25 October 2013 -- A Basic Agreement between the World Health Organization and the Government of the Republic of South Sudan for the Establishment of Cooperation was signed on 25 October 2013 in a signing ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, where the Honorable Minister, Dr Barnaba Marial Benjamin signed on behalf of the Republic and WHO Africa Regional Director, Dr Luis G Sambo, signed on behalf of WHO.

Poor water, hygiene and sanitation conditions in internally displaced persons camps, a looming risk of disease outbreaks

3 February 2014, Juba -- The World Health Organization (WHO) conducted emergency vaccination in camps in Bor, capital of Jonglei State in South Sudan following reports of death of children due to suspected measles cases, and the inaccessibility of the area in the past 3 weeks.

WHO deployed a technical team to Bor Protection of Civilians (IDP) camp resulting in vaccination of 2,559 children against measles, 2,817 against polio and 1,935 being given Vitamin A supplementation.

22 FEBRUARY 2014 | GENEVA - WHO is working with the South Sudan Government and partners to provide vaccines to protect nearly 140 000 people living in temporary camps in South Sudan against cholera.

The vaccines come from an emergency stockpile managed by WHO, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and UNICEF. It is the first time the stockpile, created in 2013 by WHO, is being activated.

A four day workshop to develop the South Sudan National Malaria Strategic Plan for the period 2014-2020 has opened in the Country’s State capital, Juba. The development of the strategic plan is a multi-sectoral activity that requires the participation of all partners with vested interests in malaria control in South Sudan. On its part, the World Health Organization (WHO) is providing Technical Assistance in the development of the Malaria strategy and facilitating the consultative process towards an all inclusive National Malaria Strategic Plan.

South Sudan commenced implementation of integrated Measles, Polio vaccination and vitamin-A supplementation campaign on 23 April 2014 targeting 2.4 million children below five years. The campaign will be implemented in seven of the country’s ten states to administer measles vaccines and vitamin A capsule to children aged 6-59 months and Oral Polio vaccine to children aged 0-59 months. 

Juba, South Sudan, 23 April 2014 -- More than 2.4 million children will be vaccinated in a nation-wide measles, polio and Vitamin A campaign, launched today by the Ministry of Health with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. The integrated Immunization Campaign for Measles, Polio and Vitamin A supplementation in South Sudan aims to reduce the incidence of measles to less than five cases per million and to boost the population’s immunity against Polio. South Sudan has been polio free since June 2009 – almost five years.

On 25 April 2014, South Sudan joined millions of people around the world to observe World Malaria day under the global theme, ’Invest in the future: Defeat Malaria,’ and locally under the theme, ‘Together we can defeat Malaria’. 

The Ministry of Health in collaboration with the World Health Organization has declared an outbreak of cholera in Juba, South Sudan. This declaration follows reports of 18 suspected cholera cases including one death and one laboratory confirmed case on 6th May 2014 of an IDP who got sick in Gudele and was brought to UN House IDP camp following tests conducted by the AMREF laboratory in Nairobi.

The Ministry of Health with support of the World Health Organization has launched the first National Malaria Strategic Plan, 2014 to 2021, at a well organized ceremony at the Independence Hall in Juba, South Sudan.

The WHO Country Representative, Dr Abdi Aden Mohammed, who represented all UN agencies, pledged that health partners will continue supporting the MoH of South Sudan to reduce the burden of malaria. He said that malaria remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the new nation, with the majority of the affected being children and pregnant mothers.