South Sudan News

Juba, 5 June 2015: WHO has begun a series of Oral Cholera Vaccination (OCV) Campaigns in parts of South Sudan in concerted efforts to prevent a potential outbreak of the disease.

The campaigns, targeted for Bentiu and Juba 3 Protection of Civilians (PoC) sites in June 2015, aim to prevent more cases and will complement other measures already in place. This is crucial given the approach of the rainy season in the endemic country.

01. Happy to give blood, as every drop counts.

02. A donor has his haemoglobin checked before donating blood

03. One donation can save up to three lives.

04. A donor registers and gets information about voluntary blood donations before donating blood.

05. Give freely. Give often. Blood donation matters.

Juba, 17 June 2015 -- WHO has been assisting the Ministry of Health to step up both preparedness and surveillance for cholera in order to avoid a potentially large-scale outbreak.

“So far our efforts have been effective as evidenced by how prompt the suspected cases are being reported and tested,” says Dr. Allan Mpairwe, Head of Outbreaks and Disaster Management (ODM) at WHO in South Sudan.

Juba, 23 June 2015: The Minister of Health in the Republic of South Sudan, Dr. Riek Gai Kok has declared an outbreak of cholera in Juba County, South Sudan.

Addressing a press conference in Juba, where he made the declaration, Dr. Kok said on 1 June 2015, a cholera case was confirmed in UN House Protection of Civilians (PoC) site after Vibrio cholerae inaba was isolated from a stool sample. This was followed by subsequent cases.

Juba, 23 June 2015: The Minister of Health in the Republic of South Sudan, Dr. Riek Gai Kok has declared an outbreak of cholera in Juba County, South Sudan. On 1 June 2015, a cholera case was confirmed in UN House PoC after Vibrio cholerae inaba was isolated from one of the three stool samples.

Juba, 6 July 2015: Mary Wani frantically  waves a paper from the hospital bed where she sits, eager to share the exciting news of her recovery and subsequent discharge from the ward with anyone who will listen to her.

“I am going home,” she says , adding that she feels very strong. The 58-year-old mother of nine has just been discharged from Juba Teaching Hospital, where she was receiving treatment for cholera. The hospital was the first Cholera Treatment Centre (CTC) to be designated in the current outbreak.

Juba, 16 July 2015 -- South Sudan, with support from WHO and health partners, has embarked on a drive to eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) currently affecting the country within the next five years. 

NTDs are a diverse group of diseases with distinct characteristics that thrive mainly among the poorest populations. The 17 NTDs prioritized by WHO are endemic in 149 countries and affect more than 1.4 billion people, costing developing economies billions of dollars every year. 

Aker Moyom Jok is all too familiar with death due to Hepatitis E Virus (HEV).

In 2014, the 29 year old mother of five lost her brother-in-law to the disease. So, when she noticed the signs and symptoms of HEV in her 13 year old daughter, Awel Wech Ayom, she immediately sought medical attention.

“I am grateful to health partners because this is a killer disease and some people have died, but my daughter is alive,” she says.

Juba, 11 August 2015 – The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners are battling South Sudan’s on-going cholera outbreak, providing thousands of people with life-saving treatment that is helping bring down the number of cases.

Cholera cases have been declining since 20 July 2015 but continue to be a great threat to young children and other vulnerable groups in South Sudan. As of 10 August 2015, a total of 1519 cholera cases have been reported since June with children under five and 5-9 years of age being most affected in Juba and Bor counties.

Juba, 19 August 2015 – The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners are racing to cope with the health needs of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northeastern South Sudan where fighting continues and the humanitarian situation remains dire.