Cholera Recoils, Kills 19 In Juba The Health Minister of South Sudan on Tuesday declared the outbreak of cholera in Juba County after a total of 19 deaths and 171 cases have been reported from the beginning of June. 24 June 2015 [image: Cholera Recoils, Kills 19 In Juba] Health Minister Riek Kok Gai (Centre) declared the Cholera Oubreak in Juba on Tuesday. [Photo| Francis Apiliga]
By: Francis Apiliga Lagu *JUBA, 23rd June 2015 [Gurtong] *- The most affected areas are New Site, Mango 10, Juba Three, Munuki, Gudele, Gurei and Gumbo. “The confirmation of cases automatically triggers the activation of a full scale response involving all sectors and partners in line with the international Health Regulation (IHR2005) requirements,” said Health Minister Dr. Riek Kok Gai. The National Cholera Taskforce comprising of WHO, UNICEF, UNHCR, OCHA, UMMISS, IOM and NGOs such as Health Link South Sudan, MSF Midair, IMC, ICRC, SSRC and Oxfam has been restored to help combat the bacterial disease. Mid-June last year, cases of Cholera were confirmed by the minister and expanded approaches by the taskforce were established to curb and prevent further spread of the disease. On Monday, 16 new suspected cholera cases were registered at Juba Teaching hospital of which by Tuesday morning the number had risen to 60 according to Dr John Rumunu, Director for preventive health services, Ministry of Health. The minister castigated the public for keeping traditional practices that are responsible for the recurrence of cholera outbreak in the country. He urged the media to also help sensitize the public about the need to always wash hands before eating food, eat food while hot, boil or treat all drinking water and use pit latrines accordingly. “For how long are we going to continue defecating in the open? Combating cholera is not our responsibility alone, the public too. You, the media should emphasize the need for good hygiene and practices,” he appealed to the press. The minister said his ministry and partners are conducting oral cholera vaccination in vulnerable areas of Bentiu and Juba, targeting 73,360 and 33,565 people respectively to prevent a potential large scale infection and death rates. Cholera is a bacterial disease caused by vibrio cholerae. In South Sudan; it is mainly driven by open air defecation, drinking untreated water from the river due insufficient clean water sources, eating cold food as well as the congestion at the protection of civilian (PoCs) sites. In 2014, the cholera outbreak saw at least 6,421 cases and 167 deaths while in February 2015, 43 cases and three deaths were reported in Ikwoto County of Eastern Equatoria State. ------------------------------ [image: Bookmark and Share] <https://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&pub=xa-4a8952f0662ccc6f> Posted in: Home <http://www.gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ctl/CategoryView/mid/519/categoryId/1/Home.aspx> -- To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/d/forum/southsudankob View this message at https://groups.google.com/d/msg/southsudankob/topic-id/message-id For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14oq_JnoVzGjZLh8GEmUqBCMUd_mUWNsyNpjbU1sq%3DdBhiQ%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
