South Sudan News

9 December 2011 – In a final push to eradicate poliomyelitis (polio) from South Sudan, the Ministry of Heath and its partners, UNICEF and WHO, have launched the first of four rounds of a polio national immunization campaign. The "Kick polio out of South Sudan" campaign will take place from 13 to 16 December.

16 January 2012 – There is a threat of malnutrition and possible vector-borne, water borne and respiratory tract disease outbreaks among the displaced population in Pibor county.

The displacement follows intertribal clashes in the last week of December 2011 and first week of January 2012, in which over 60 000 people from Pibor, Lekuangole, Fertait, Bilait, Dorein and many other areas were displaced, with many reported wounded or dead.

14 May 2012 – Dr Michael Milly Hussein, Minister of Health, pledged support and commitment for the implementation of the human resources for health policy and strategy of South Sudan. The pledge came during a validation meeting for the policy and strategy in Juba, on 14 May 2012. The validation workshop is part of the process of developing a new human resources for health policy and strategy.

20 May 2012 – With over 376 226 returnees reported across South Sudan, WHO has stepped up its support and response across all states.

This has involved prepositioning medical supplies and medicines in all 10 states, training health workers on communicable disease surveillance, response and case management, and ensuring the immunization of all returnee children.

In Juba alone, over 10 500 returnees are expected to arrive, and 1890 have already arrived by air and another 1971 by boat.

6 June 2012 – Human African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, is currently on the rise in South Sudan. The disease is transmitted by tsetse fly and is 100% fatal without treatment. It is endemic in Greater Equatoria State. 

A person recently-affected by the disease may not feel any symptoms for months or may present with symptoms that mimic other common diseases such as malaria. 

31 October 2012, South Sudan – The construction of the new maternity wing in Bor hospital being undertaken by the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health of South Sudan, with funding from the Canadian Interagency Development Agency (CIDA) is near completion, says Dr Abdi Aden Mohamed, WHO Representative, South Sudan Office.

My name is Peter John Kisma, I am a polio campaign supervisor. I started doing this work in 2008 in Munuki Payam as a vaccinator. In 2009 I became a team leader and later a Boma supervisor. As a Boma supervisor I monitor the work of my teams at the payam level. When I was a team leader, I monitored and ensured that the teams assigned under my supervision were vaccinating all children in the Boma where we were allocated.

7 February 2013 – Nine months after starting work in Bor State hospital, WHO has handed over a fully-equipped maternity ward to Jonglei State health authorities. The new ward, built by WHO with funds from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), is a 40-bed health facility with modern maternity equipment. The ward comprises two operating theatres, a labour suite, procedure room, emergency room, neonatal unit and eight cubicles each with four beds.

25 April 2013 – Every year, countries over the world commemorate World Malaria Day. South Sudan joined the rest of world to commemorate and renew its commitments to ensuring a malaria-free country by 2016.

To support malaria control efforts in South Sudan, WHO provided the Ministry of Health with 3000 first response malaria rapid tests, 2700 doses of first-line ACTs (artesunate and amodiaquie) drugs, two large outdoor tents, first aid kit with IV fluids and cash worth US$ 5000.

30 September, 2013, Juba – The Government of South Sudan has decleared a polio outbreak in the country. This follows three confirmed cases among children – two in Aweil south, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State and another in Ikotos Eastern Equatoria State.

“We consider this a national health emergency,” the Under Secretary of Health said on Monday morning. We are mobilizing from the highest level of government to every community in the country in order to stop this disease.