People line up to take oral cholera vaccine at Juba's IDPs camp 3. December 18, 2024. (Photo: Lou Nelson/Eye Radio).

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan Anita Kiki Gbeho has released US$8 million to support the multi-sectoral response to the cholera outbreak in six hotspot locations across the country.

On December 14, the Ministry of Health reported 6,000 cholera cases and 60 deaths, with the ongoing outbreak putting significant strain on public health efforts, according to a report presented at a Council of Ministers meeting.

The cholera outbreak, declared in October 2024, has spread rapidly, with increasing infections and fatalities, particularly in IDP camps and POC sites in Juba, Rubkona, and northern South Sudan.

Meanwhile, the funding from the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund will support cholera response in Renk, Malakal, and Maban in Upper Nile State, Aweil East in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, Rubkona in Unity State and Jamjang in Ruweng Administrative Area.

Ms. 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,” she explained.

The $8 million allocation by the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund comes at a critical time, prioritizing urgent 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 in 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.