South Sudan receives more than 280,000 vaccines to combat cholera

Juba, 1 December (IANS). South Sudan, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), has announced that it has secured more than 282,000 doses of oral cholera vaccine (OCV) to conduct vaccination campaigns in areas identified as hotspots of cholera infection.
The Health Ministry said on Saturday that the vaccines would be sent to Upper Nile State and other priority locations, Xinhua news agency reported.
“Cholera prevention is a priority in areas targeted for multi-sectoral intervention,” Health Minister Yolanda Awel Deng said in a statement issued in South Sudan's capital, Juba.
Awel said these campaigns aim to protect vulnerable populations and serve as a foundational step towards implementing sustainable water, sanitation and health interventions.
The minister said the vaccines will be used to implement a two-dose vaccination campaign in Renk and Malakal counties in Upper Nile State.
The minister said additional doses would be sent to aid other affected locations in the coming days. The vaccination campaign aims to reduce cholera outbreaks in these areas.
According to Humphrey Karamagi, WHO representative in South Sudan, cholera is an epidemic in the country.
Karamagi said, “Strategic interventions include OCV campaigns in at-risk areas, training of state-level rapid response teams and arrangement and provision of testing kits and essential supplies for management of patients. These measures have enhanced surveillance and This has enabled immediate response to suspected and confirmed cases.”
According to the World Health Organization, cholera remains a significant public health challenge in South Sudan, which is further exacerbated by ongoing humanitarian crises, primarily affecting children, women and other vulnerable groups.
–IANS
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