South Sudan Declares New Cholera Outbreak

On Sunday, South Sudan's Health Ministry declared a cholera outbreak after the confirmation of eight cases in Rubkona county in the Unity States. The decision follows tests conducted by the National Public Health Laboratory in Juba, the capital city.

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"Public is being urged not to panic but remain calm and observe all the precautionary measures to prevent community transmission and spread in populations with inadequate access to safe drinking water, poor personal hygiene, and inadequate access to improved sanitation facilities," the ministry said, adding that 31 cases including one death have been reported from Rubkona town and Bentiu IDP camp.

The ministry reported a confirmed case of cholera from Bentiu IDP camp on April 14 and the latest is the first cholera case to be reported in South Sudan since the devastating cholera outbreak in 2017, affecting over 28,000 people with 644 deaths.

Health authorities deployed a rapid response team from April 22 to 29 to investigate the causes and support the state-level response. And adequate supplies have also been deployed to support the investigation and treatment of cases in Rubkona county.

The South Sudanese government with support from its partners conducted two rounds of oral cholera vaccination in Rubkona county in January and March, respectively.

The Health Ministry activated a national and a state cholera task force on April 14 to coordinate all response interventions, heighten surveillance in the Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps and at community levels.

The cholera risk is typically high during the rainy season that starts from May to the end of October. For the last couple of years, the country has experienced devastating floods affecting over 1 million people.