Isaiah Adiqila, Koma community leader from Dajo Payam in Longechuk County and also the former Chief Whip of defunct Maiwut State - Credit: Eye Radio/Moses Awan.

Koma Community leader is appealing to the National Ministry of Health to rescue his people from a mysterious disease in Longechuk County, Upper Nile State.

Last month, a humanitarian aid worker supporting the health unit in Dajo Payam reported the death of at least 10 people due to an unknown disease in Longechuk County.

Speaking to Eye Radio on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, Isaiah Adiqila, a community leader in Dajo Payam says the number of death has increased to 20 people.

He appeals to the national government to rescue the situation.

“My appeals to our government in South Sudan through Eye Radio, especially to the National Ministry of Health need to visit Dago Payam because we have an airstrip there,” said Adiqila.

“We want the government to intervene and help people because there are no health facilities where people can be treated.”

“There is no intervention yet from the government since the outbreak of the mysterious disease. There is access to neighbouring Ethiopia and Maban County in this rainy season.”

Adiqila, also the former Chief Whip of the defunct Maiwut State says many people are suffering from the unknown disease.

He told Eye Radio that he had to travel to neighbouring Maban County to report the disease as the Dajo Payam lacks a communication network.

But could not provide the number as he said some of the sufferers are staying at home due to the lack of health facilities.

Adiqila says the ailing persons have symptoms including throat ache, skin and eye rashes.

“There is an outbreak of a disease in Dajo and it killed many people and others are suffering,” said Adiqila.

“The disease starts with an infection in the throat you cannot eat or drink anything it caused eye and skin rashes.”

“There is no medicine in the area so I came to Maban to report the diseases the number is big, twenty people died when I was there.”

“There is no hospital and there is no way for the community to have access to a health facility the infected people are just at home I left the area, so I do not know if the number increased.”

Last week, the National Ministry of Health confirmed it received seven samples of the cases, but since then the results have not been made public.

EDITORS’ NOTE: This news story has been edited to correct the error in the previous piece, in which Eye Radio cited a community leader and mistakenly referred to the unknown disease as hemorrhagic fever before the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) concluded the investigation after the sample was flown to Juba for testing.