South Sudan News

8 February 2019, Juba – Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is one of the main causes of illness and death among under-five children in South Sudan. In 2019, nearly 260 000 young children are estimated to suffer severe acute malnutrition and, at least, 10 to 15 percent are expected to develop medical complications which can impede intellectual potential and inhibit physical growth, resulting in increased risk of lifelong disability.

Juba 1 February 2019 – South Sudan faces a high burden of acute respiratory infections that currently account for at least one-third of outpatient consultations with children under five years being the most affected. South Sudan is yet to initiate influenza surveillance to determine the current influenza burden and identify the types of influenza circulating. 

Juba, 12 December 2018 – To improve immunization and surveillance strategies, the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) officers and field supervisors of all states, gathered from 11 to 13 December 2018 to review the Expanded Programme on Immunization program performance in 2018, the accountability system and its impact on staff performance.

Juba 8 December, 2018 – The Ministry of Health of the Republic of South Sudan with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), DFID, GAVI vaccine alliance and other partners, is set to vaccinate targeted healthcare and frontline workers operating in high risk states bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) against Ebola virus disease (EVD) as part of national preparedness efforts.

Juba, 1 December 2018 – Despite the ongoing complex humanitarian crises in South Sudan, the World Health Organization (WHO) in partnership with the Ministry of Health and partners responding to the yellow fever outbreak in Gbudue State.  

Following the declaration of the Yellow Fever outbreak on 29 November 2018, WHO deployed a multidisciplinary team of experts to undertake an in-depth epidemiological; entomological; and laboratory investigations from 1 to 8 December 2018.

Juba, 1 December 2018 – Under the theme “Know your status”, South Sudan has joined the rest of the world to celebrate the 30th anniversary of World AIDS Day (WAD30) –a pioneering global health campaign first initiated by WHO in 1988.

The event was kicked off on 28 November 2018 with television and radio talk shows in Juba. Progress, gaps and challenges in HIV prevention, the evolving global treatment situation and the situation in South Sudan and achievements so far related to scaling up access to treatment were discussed in different fora.

Juba, 28 November 2018 – To establish optimal in-country capacities to detect, investigate, test, confirm and respond to meningitis cases in South Sudan, the Ministry of Health (MoH)  with support from WHO conducted a training of trainers workshop involving over 60 Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) managers, state surveillance officers, and state laboratory focal points from 26 to 28 November 2018 in Juba.