South Sudan cholera outbreak declared over

South Sudan declared the end of its longest and largest cholera outbreak on 7 February 2018, with no new cases of cholera reported in over seven weeks.

The fight against cholera in South Sudan has involved a range of partners working together to enhance surveillance, deploy rapid response teams to investigate and respond to cases, provide clean water, promote good hygiene practices and treat cholera patients.

To enhance outbreak response efforts, the government worked with the European Union Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Health Organization (WHO), securing 2.2 million doses of the oral cholera vaccine (OCV) from the GAVI-funded global stockpile.

In 2017 more than 885,000 people at higher risk of cholera were immunised in the first round and nearly 500,000 people also received a second round of the vaccine. Due to security challenges, not everyone was able to receive the recommended two doses, which would significantly decrease their risk of being affected by cholera.

The outbreak was declared on 18 June 2016 and spread to many parts of the country, including the capital Juba. By the time the last confirmed cholera case was discharged on 18 December 2017, over 20,000 suspected cholera cases and 436 deaths were reported.

The country is dealing with several complex health emergencies with 5.1 million people in need of health assistance. Armed conflict has forced almost 4 million people to flee their homes. Nearly 5 million people, more than 40% of the population, are severely food insecure. These challenges place a huge burden on the country’s health system, while the sanitation infrastructure needs further strengthening. In a few months a new rainy season will begin, increasing the risk of a new cholera outbreak.

Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa News Release, 7 February 2018