People being treated for cholera under a tree at a cattle camp in Akobo. (-)

Akobo County Commissioner in Jonglei State has raised concerns over a cholera crisis that has rapidly escalated to cattle camps and villages across the county where there have been critical shortages of medical supplies.

South Sudan first declared a cholera outbreak in October 2024 and 33,000 cases have been confirmed across the country, as the health ministry and partners struggle to contain the situation four months later.

This is despite the ministry’s recent insistence that the cholera outbreak was under control because the rate of infections was allegedly declining due to prevention measures and the availability of the oral vaccines.

Puok Nyang Tutjiek said during his peace mission to the Ethiopian border that he encountered one cattle camp that has recorded an estimated of 178 cholera infections and three related deaths as of last Friday.

Commissioner Nyang feared that without immediate intervention and adequate resources, the outbreak of the preventable waterborne disease could spiral out of control.

“The issue of cholera is a serious matter in Akobo. As we speak, it is unfolding, and it is also beyond the capacity of the county. I recently got a lot of cattle camp people who are also being affected,” he said.

“In one cattle camps where I came and passed through, there were 178 affected by cholera and those people are staying in cattle camp without help.”

“In that camp three people died and those people also were suffering. Though they were some assistance I took with me, plus the little support from the Ethiopians side but still they’re suffering.”

When contacted by Eye Radio for comment, several officials of the National Ministry of Health were not available to respond. A new health minister has not been appointed since Yolanda Awel was relieved on February 10, 2025.

According to Dr. Harriet Pasquale Akello, former undersecretary of the health ministry, Akobo was among six counties with increasing cholera cases in recent weeks.

South Sudan has since received around two million cholera vaccines from global health agencies as part of international efforts to control the spread of the disease.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said the ongoing influx of people fleeing the conflict in Sudan increases the risk of infectious disease outbreaks like cholera and continues to exert pressure on an already fragile health system,

Persistent chronic gaps in healthcare, funding cuts, dire water and sanitation conditions and gaps in other essential services in South Sudan have also created the perfect conditions for cholera to spread, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said.

MSF stated that the outbreak was getting worse for people living in IDPs camps who have faced appalling conditions for many years, which have continued to deteriorate as donor funding has diminished.