An MSF staff administers the hepatitis E vaccine to a woman in Hai Matar, Jonglei State.

The Medical charity organization, MSF is carrying out a mass vaccination campaign against hepatitis E in Fangak County in Jonglei State.

The Medicines Sans Frontier initiated the campaign in partnership with the Ministry of Health following an outbreak last year.

Early this month, Eye Radio reported that 19 people died due to hepatitis E since the outbreak was declared last year.

Before the outbreak, Fangak County was struggling with recurrent flooding, resulting in agricultural losses, displacement, and increased malaria and malnutrition cases.

MSF says since April 2023, Hepatitis E has killed 21 individuals, mostly women in the Old Fangak area.

The medical charity organization says it treated 501 cases of hepatitis E at its hospital in Old Fangak, Jonglei State.

The campaign aims to protect women and girls of reproductive age who face the highest risk of death from the disease.

The vaccination, according to MSF, “marks the first of its kind to be conducted during an active outbreak in the remote and isolated Fangak County, aiming to prevent further loss of life.

Mamman Mustapha, MSF’s Head of Mission in South Sudan says there was a lack of timely access to medical care, particularly in Fangak with limited healthcare infrastructure.

“Fangak County, situated in a remote area in South Sudan amidst the Sudd marshes, poses logistical hurdles, with communities facing dire shortages in healthcare access,” Mamman Mustapha said.

Hepatitis E is fatal, with mortality rates reaching up to 40 per cent among pregnant women.

According to health experts, there exists no cure, leading to significant mortality rates among those in advanced stages of the illness.