Cholera spreading ‘rapidly’ in South Sudan: MSF

Aid workers in South Sudan warned Friday that a cholera outbreak was “rapidly escalating” in the far north of the young nation where chronic violence has displaced thousands.

At least 737 cases have been reported in a month in Upper Nile State, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), said in a statement.

The outbreak was concentrated in Malakal—a once flourishing trade hub reduced to a refugee town—but had spread to other parts of the country, including the capital Juba.

The town has received huge numbers of South Sudanese fleeing back to the country due to the conflict in neighboring Sudan, which has recorded more than 37,000 cases of cholera according to MSF.

“The situation in Malakal remains critical and we are concerned that the outbreak is spreading to neighboring areas,” MSF head of mission in South Sudan Zakaria Mwatia said.

Cholera is an acute form of diarrhea that is treatable with antibiotics and hydration but can kill within hours if left untreated.

It is caused by a germ that is typically transmitted by poor sanitation. People become infected when they swallow food or water carrying the bug.

The UN said last month it had secured more than 280,000 doses of oral cholera vaccine to be rolled out in transmission hotspots, saying the outbreak was driven by limited access to safe drinking water and poor sanitation.

One of the poorest countries on the planet despite large oil reserves, South Sudan has struggled to find its footing since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, battling violence, endemic poverty and natural disasters.

© 2024 AFP

Aid workers in South Sudan warned Friday that a cholera outbreak was “rapidly escalating” in the far north of the young nation where chronic violence has displaced thousands.

At least 737 cases have been reported in a month in Upper Nile State, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), said in a statement.

The outbreak was concentrated in Malakal—a once flourishing trade hub reduced to a refugee town—but had spread to other parts of the country, including the capital Juba.

The town has received huge numbers of South Sudanese fleeing back to the country due to the conflict in neighboring Sudan, which has recorded more than 37,000 cases of cholera according to MSF.

“The situation in Malakal remains critical and we are concerned that the outbreak is spreading to neighboring areas,” MSF head of mission in South Sudan Zakaria Mwatia said.

Cholera is an acute form of diarrhea that is treatable with antibiotics and hydration but can kill within hours if left untreated.

It is caused by a germ that is typically transmitted by poor sanitation. People become infected when they swallow food or water carrying the bug.

The UN said last month it had secured more than 280,000 doses of oral cholera vaccine to be rolled out in transmission hotspots, saying the outbreak was driven by limited access to safe drinking water and poor sanitation.

One of the poorest countries on the planet despite large oil reserves, South Sudan has struggled to find its footing since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, battling violence, endemic poverty and natural disasters.

© 2024 AFP