By Hou Akot Hou
Ministry of Health in Northern Bahr El Ghazal State launched a vaccination campaign on Monday to combat pneumonia.
It’s part of Rotavirus Vaccination Campaign organized in partnership with Women’s Empowerment Center South Sudan (WECSS), UNICEF, and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The event was attended by local chiefs, community members, and officials from the Expanded Programme for Immunization (EPI), as well as representatives from UNICEF and WHO.
Health officials stated that the campaign will run from June 2 to June 8, 2025, targeting 200,000 children under the age of five. The goal is to protect children from pneumococcal disease, which can cause anemia, and from rotavirus, a leading cause of severe diarrhea in young children.
Residents expressed their willingness to have their children immunized but raised concerns about access for those in remote areas. Adut Deng, a resident of Aweil Town, urged EPI workers to ensure services reach the more distant villages.
“The EPI workers need to go to far areas to help immunize all children. This is something I would like to emphasize,” she said.
She also noted the increasing population and requested that the campaign include children of returnees and refugees to ensure comprehensive coverage.
“It’s important for the local population not to hesitate in getting their children vaccinated, even if some mothers fear potential side effects,” she added.
In a separate development, the International Rescue Committee trained health workers in Aweil East County last week on malaria case management, as concerns grow about an increase in malaria cases with the onset of the rainy season.