Juba, South Sudan 28 April 2017 – To improve vaccination coverage and reduce the risk of vaccine preventable diseases, the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and partners accelerated  outreach vaccination to strengthen and ensure the continuation of  immunization activities across the country.

In the first round of accelerated outreach over 154 000 children less than one year were reached with multiple routine antigens and additional 74 000 women in reproductive age with tetanus vaccine. The accelerated outreach covered 39 of the 80 counties with routine vaccination.

Although insecurity and displacement prevents access to families and children, the 2017 African Vaccination Week observed from 24 – 30 April 2017, with the theme “Vaccines protect everyone, get vaccinated!” spearheaded by the health professionals to reach the community and alert them about children’s right to vaccination and protect them from vaccine preventable diseases irrespective of where they live.  Vaccines are best protection against tuberculosis, whooping cough, measles, polio among others, and they protect us well against severe and fatal disease.

Dr Riek Gai Kok, Honorable Minister of Health, highlighted the tremendous and ongoing commitments of the Government of South Sudan, the contributions of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the commitments of WHO and UNICEF for the continued support to protect the communities.

Currently many children are exposed to multiple outbreaks due to limited utilization of vaccination services. Each year, about 450 000 children are expected to be vaccinated against tuberculosis, whooping cough, measles and polio among others in health facilities and during outreaches. A similar number of women are also expected to be vaccinated against tetanus.

WHO and partners will continue to use innovative ways including food distribution sessions to reach all unimmunized children in the country.

On behalf of Dr Abdulmumini Usman, the WHO Representative to South Sudan, Dr Moses Mutebi Nganda, pledges WHO’s continued commitment and support to provide the required technical and operational guidance to the Ministry of Health in fulfillment of the principles of universal access to immunization and urged all community leaders, parents and guardians and indeed the media, to volunteer in their own ways to ensure that all children and women use the available vaccination services.

For more information, please contact:

Mr Kofi Boateng, Tel: +211 955 026 052, Email: boatengk [at] who.int Ms Jemila M. Ebrahim, Tel: +211 950 450 007, Email: ebrahimj [at] who.int.
Below:

01. Press conference on AVW at the MoH. Photo WHO

02 - Delegates of the MoH, WHO, UNICEF and the press posing for a group photo. Photo WHO