By Hou Akot Hou
Residents of Warrap State are grappling with an outbreak of conjunctivitis, a highly contagious eye infection commonly known as “red eye.”
According to health practitioners in the state, the affected areas are primarily concentrated in the counties of Twic Mayardit, Tonj South, Tonj North, and Gogrial East.
Epidemiologist John Akol Akol revealed that the outbreak has impacted people from all walks of life, with a particularly high number of cases among school-going children.
Akol’s team, comprising representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Ministry of Health, has been dispatched to Kuajok town to assess the prevalence of the infection.
Their initial findings show that more than 100 patients in the town are suffering from the outbreak.
“The team comprised of WHO and Ministry of Health have dispatched a team to the counties to get the number of patients suffering from the ailment and will report back in agreed timeframe,” Akol said.
Additionally, the health authorities are planning to convene a meeting with health partners to coordinate a response and provide assistance to the affected patients, as the outbreak has become widespread.
Akol attributed the rapid spread of the infection to a lack of good personal hygiene among the patients.
He urged the public to maintain proper hand-washing practices, particularly after coming into contact with those affected by the “red eye” condition.
The epidemiologist also revealed that the outbreak in Warrap is believed to have originated from the neighboring state of Western Bahr el Ghazal.
Conjunctivitis is an eye infection that causes inflammation of the conjunctiva, the thin, transparent membrane that covers the white part of the eye and the inside of the eyelids.
The condition is characterized by redness, irritation, and discharge from the eyes.