A flooded residential area in Bor, Jonglei State. October 2021. (Photo/Charles Wote/Eye Radio).

South Sudan Doctors Union (SSDU) has warned that the cholera outbreak, which has prevailed for more than four months, may worsen in the rainy season if access to clean water and sanitation is not improved in the country.

The outbreak was declared in October 2024 and a cumulative total of more than 33,000 confirmed cases and 500 deaths have been reported across the country.

Former health ministry undersecretary Dr. Harriet Pasqual Akello recently said cholera cases were shooting up in six counties including Akobo, Gogrial-West, Ikotos, Parieng, Terekeka, and parts of Tonj.

SSDU’s Secretary General Dr. Luka Dut now fears that the health emergency may worsen due to expected seasonal flooding, prevailing conflicts, and a fragile health system.

Dr. Dut said if adequate interventions are not made in time, the outbreak may surpass the currently deteriorating health situation in the country.

“For us in the country to prevent the further outbreak of cholera, we must make sure that our population is having access to clean water and sanitation,” he said in an interview with Eye Radio.

“That is the only way we are going to prevent further outbreaks. But as for now, the infrastructure for sanitation and hygiene are really for our country, and if we don’t take care of that, we will continue to see the outbreak in the country.”

The health official is also urging the public to stay inform and take precautionary measures to combat the preventable waterborne disease across the country.

“What I would like to tell the population residing in South Sudan is that your responsibility is to protect yourself. Make sure to protect yourself and listen to the radio so that if there are messages broadcasted about health, you have to hear them.”

“Cholera is real, it can kill. Seek treatment immediately when you have Cholera and take measures to prevent yourself from getting Cholera by eating clean food, washing your hands, covering your food and all this.”

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.