Healthcare worker vaccinates a child against measles. | File/Courtesy.

At least 16 people including a middle-aged woman died from measles disease in Gogrial East County of Warrap State, a local nurse told state media SSBC.

Tong Thondit, a nurse working at a local Public Health Collaborating Unit (PHCU) in the Mangol Apuk area says the clinic is in dire shortage of drugs.

“Now we have an outbreak of measles which has led to the loss of lives. We have so many cases of measles in this facility. Our local community is suffering from the disease especially the younger children,” the health worker told SSBC.

“Even this morning, we confirmed three cases, some of which are very complicated but we are trying our best to manage the cases.”

The deceased are a woman in her mid 30s and a 15-year-old boy, while the rest are children aged below 10 years.

Thondit said one of the challenges of managing the disease outbreak is that most patients are kept at homes and taken to the hospital when it is too late.

“But our community also are still not informed, in which some say that the infected person should not be taken to hospital immediately. Sometimes they keep them in the village for more than two to three days, but we are trying our best to educate them on such issues.”

He also said the PHCU lacks essential drugs and the capacity to admit critical patients, who are either transferred to the state capital or monitored under trees in the compound.

IN February this year, the World Health Organization said the measles outbreak in South Sudan has killed 46 people.

The national Ministry of Health first declared the measles outbreak in February 2022, after reporting cases in Torit of Eastern Equatoria State and Maban in Upper Nile State.

The second outbreak was then declared in December 2022, following a steady increase in the number of cases across the country.

The health authorities have so far recorded 4,339 suspected cases including 388 confirmed cases and 46 deaths across the country.

Juba County in Central Equatoria State recorded the highest number of deaths at 18, Cueibet County of Lakes State recorded eight deaths while other counties reported less than five deaths in total.

Measles is a childhood infection caused by a virus.

Also called rubella, measles spreads easily and can be serious and even fatal for small children.

The disease still kills more than 200,000 people a year, mostly children but it can be prevented with a vaccine.