JUBA, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan's health authorities have intensified efforts to curb a cholera outbreak in Renk, a county located on the northern border with Sudan and the main point of entry for refugees and returnees fleeing an ongoing armed conflict in the neighboring country.

Yolanda Awel Deng, the minister of health, said a cholera taskforce at the county level has been activated to facilitate coordinated response efforts and that the national incident management system has been engaged.

In a statement issued in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, Awel said that 30 health workers have been trained in identifying, reporting and testing for suspected cholera cases and in sample collection procedures.

"The ministry of health is aware of the difficult conditions refugees and returnees face, such as overcrowding and poor water and sanitation, which can lead to outbreaks," she said. "The ministry is working with health, nutrition and water sanitation and hygiene cluster partners on the ground to ensure that the risk of the outbreak spreading is minimized."

According to the ministry of health and the World Health Organization (WHO), 50 suspected cases had been reported among refugees, returnees and the host community as of Monday, and six of them have been confirmed.

South Sudan is experiencing unprecedented flooding that has caused widespread devastation in several parts of the country and affected more than 81,300 people and displaced around 46,500 people in Upper Nile State, where Renk is located, according to the WHO.

These numbers continue to rise every week and place already vulnerable people at risk of infectious diseases such as cholera.

"I commend the government of South Sudan on its high-level response to the cholera outbreak in this fragile area of the country," said Humphrey Karamagi, WHO representative in South Sudan.

He said the WHO has deployed two rapid response teams, which include state coordinators, epidemiologists, experts in water, sanitation and hygiene, infection prevention and control, risk communication and community engagement and laboratory officers. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)