South Sudan secured over 282 150 doses of oral cholera vaccine to contain the cholera outbreak. (Photo: WHO).

The Ministry of Health, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), has secured over 282,153 doses of oral cholera vaccine to initiate a vaccination campaigns in cholera transmission hotspots across the country.

South Sudan declared a cholera outbreak on 28th October and has since recorded 243 cases and six deaths amid rapid spread, prompting the government to describe the situation as significant public health challenge.

At a press briefing on 17th November, Health Minister Yolanda Awel Deng said the outbreak has spread beyond the epicenter in Renk to Malakal, Juba, Aweil and other parts of the country exacerbated by the prevailing humanitarian crises including the influx of people from war-torn Sudan.

She said the health ministry has established an incident management system (IMS) to ensure a multi-sectoral cholera response and prevention including enhancing surveillance and laboratory capacity.

Meanwhile, the oral cholera vaccine (OCV) is supplied by the International Coordinating Group (ICG), which coordinates and manages the global stockpile of vaccines for countries during cholera outbreaks, WHO said in a statement on Saturday.

It added that the drugs consignment will be used to implement a two-dose mass vaccination campaign in Renk and Malakal Counties of Upper Nile State.

According to the agency, other doses will be shipped to support the response efforts in other affected locations in the coming days.

Procured and delivered by UNICEF’s Supply Division with the support of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the vaccines will be strategically deployed to Upper Nile State and other priority locations.

This effort is part of a comprehensive prevention and response strategy aimed at addressing cholera, a severe and preventable diarrheal disease, and safeguarding the health of vulnerable communities.

Health Minister Yolanda Awel Deng emphasized that “cholera prevention is a priority in areas that have been prioritized for multisectoral intervention.”

The OCV campaigns are intended to protect vulnerable populations and serve as a foundational step toward implementing sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions.

Noting the humanitarian crises in South Sudan and the ongoing cholera outbreaks driven by limited access to safe drinking water and poor sanitation services, WHO said a ring vaccination strategy will be employed in the context of limited resources to maximize the impact of vaccination campaigns.

This is in addition to other response interventions including enhanced cholera surveillance, patient care, risk communication, and improved and sustainable WASH interventions.

Dr Humphrey Karamagi, WHO Representative to South Sudan, highlighted, “Although cholera is endemic in South Sudan, this time WHO and partners, along with the Ministry of Health, are better prepared to contain the outbreak and reduce the transmission through targeted interventions.”

“The strategic interventions include OCV campaigns in at-risk areas, training of state-level rapid response teams (RRTs), and prepositioning and provision of diagnostic test kits and essential supplies for managing patients. These measures have enhanced surveillance and enabled prompt responses to suspected and confirmed cases”, said Dr Karamagi.

UNICEF Representative in South Sudan Hamida Lasseko underscored that cholera remains a major threat to the health of vulnerable populations in South Sudan, especially children and women.

She said UNICEF is collaboratively working with the Ministry of Health and other partners to ensure increased access to life-saving vaccines through functional cold chain systems, improving water, sanitation, and hygiene, as well as behavioral change efforts to address the root causes of this preventable disease.

The Ministry of Health will conduct vaccination campaigns in collaboration with WHO, UNICEF, MSF and other health sector partners in the affected States.

The UN humanitarian agency UN-OCHA said suspected cases in the cholera outbreak in South Sudan continue to be recorded in flood-hit locations.

Cholera is a deadly disease transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated food or water, leaving patients with severe acute watery diarrhea and it can kill within hours if left untreated, according to WHO.

Most people infected with V. cholerae do not develop any symptoms, although the bacteria are present in their feaces for 1–10 days after infection and are shed back into the environment, potentially infecting other people.

Among people who develop symptoms, the majority have mild or moderate symptoms and a minority of patients develop acute watery diarrhea with severe dehydration.