South Sudan News

When violence erupted in South Sudan at the end of 2013, tens of thousands of people fleeing the conflict sought refuge in United Nations bases positioned around the country in the hope that peacekeepers stationed there would protect them. The bases were quickly overwhelmed, with families crammed together with little or no access to safe water or sanitation.

Then the rainy season approached, increasing the risk of water-borne diseases, in particular cholera, which is endemic to the country – with the potential for explosive outbreaks in the congested camps.

When Margaret Dudu, a 30-year old mother of two, visited her mother in Gumbo on the outskirts of Juba, she intended to stay for a few days then return home and resume her life.

WHO on 20 February handed over 12 dispensary tents and two ambulances to the Ministry of Health in support of health services in Pibor, Jonglei State.

The hand over took place during the launch of the Ministry’s Strategy for Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) and is in line with WHO’s commitment to support and strengthen the Ministry of Health’s capacity in South Sudan.

On 7 April WHO marked World Health Day with a donation of 10 ambulances, two vehicles, three motorcycles and 288 bicycles to the Ministry of Health in South Sudan to strengthen health services and enhance disease surveillance.

The donation is in line with WHO’s commitment to support the response to the humanitarian situation in South Sudan by strengthening health systems through technical and material support.

South Sudan on 7 April 2015 joined the rest of the world to mark World Health Day under the theme: 'From farm to plate, make food safe'.

To celebrate the day and translate this year’s theme to the local context, WHO in collaboration with Ministry of Health (MOH) and partners conducted various activities. These included the launch of the African Region Health Report 2014; the donation of 10 ambulances, two vehicles, 288 bicycles and three motorcycles to the MOH; an exhibition on food safety and a public awareness campaign at selected markets in Juba.

This newsletter covers critical issues and achievements by WHO in supporting the Ministry of Health and responding to the Grade 3 emergency.

In this issue:

- WHO SS Celebrates International Women’s Day in Style
- WHO Trains Rapid Response Teams to Enhance Ebola Preparedness
- Rising to the Challenge: Going the extra mile to save lives
- WHO and Partners Rally to Fight Cerebro Spinal Meningitis in South Sudan
- Global Polio Eradication Initiative Alive and Active in South Sudan
- WHO News in Brief

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.