By No. 1 Citizen
Humanitarian Coordination for South Sudan has released US$8 million from South Sudan Humanitarian Fund to support the multisectoral response to the cholera outbreak in six priority locations across the country.
The fund will support responses in Renk, Malakal, Maban, Aweil East, Rubkona and Jamjang where cholera cases have been confirmed, Coordinator, Ms. Anita Kiki Gbeho, said.
“People in these high-risk locations face elevated risks due to significant population movement and limited access to critical health and sanitation services. This allocation will address their most urgent health and water, sanitation and hygiene needs to mitigate the impact of cholera,” explained the Humanitarian Coordinator.
The $8 million allocation by the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund comes at a critical time, prioritizing urgent multisectoral interventions in health, water, sanitation and hygiene, logistics and multisector refugee response in the six hotspot areas to curb the spread of cholera.
The multisectoral response will focus on early detection, treatment, infection control measures, and the provision of clean water and improved sanitation for approximately 730,000 people in Renk, Malakal, Maban, Aweil East, Rubkona and Jamjang, where fragile health systems and population movements exacerbate the impact and spread of cholera.
Since the declaration of cholera in Renk on 28 October, over 5,900 cases of cholera have been reported from seven out of ten states in South Sudan.
Rubkona, Unity State accounts for 47 per cent of all reported cases, followed by Malakal, Upper Nile State at 20 per cent.
The vaccination campaign that was rolled out in Renk on 10 December targeting 105,000 people has been completed.
Additional vaccination campaigns are planned for Malakal, Juba, Aweil West and Canal/Pigi counties to contain the outbreak.
In her visit to Malakal on 17 December, the Humanitarian Coordinator underscored the importance of coordination between the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization and partners for an effective, multisectoral response to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with cholera and prevent the spillover to other areas.
“We sincerely thank our donors for their generous contributions, which enable us to provide life-saving assistance to those in critical need. We appeal for their continued support to sustain our efforts in saving lives and building the resilience of vulnerable communities,” said Ms. Gbeho.