JUBA, Aug. 13 — South Sudan has seen a decline in cholera cases in recent months following a sustained response to the country’s longest and largest outbreak on record, the Ministry of Health said on Wednesday.
Health Minister Luke Thompson Thoan Teny said that joint efforts by the government and its partners, including targeted vaccination campaigns and improved water, sanitation, and hygiene initiatives, have successfully reduced transmission, though active cases persist in certain regions. Since the outbreak was first detected at the Wuntou entry point in Renk County, Upper Nile State, on Sept. 28, 2024, South Sudan has recorded 110,574 cholera cases and 1,721 deaths, Thompson said. Spreading across 55 counties in nine states and all three administrative areas, it stands as the nation’s largest and most widespread cholera outbreak to date. In the week leading up to the latest report, the country recorded 210 new cases and one death. Moses Ongom, World Health Organization’s Health System Development Team Leader in South Sudan, attributed the ongoing transmission in affected regions to severe sanitation deficits and waning vaccine-derived immunity. Ongom added that the outbreak’s origin was linked to an influx of refugees and returnees fleeing neighboring Sudan, whose movements further prolonged the spread.
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