South Sudan Humanitarian Fund allocates $8 million to support cholera response

December 18, 2024 (JUBA) –  The Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, Anita Kiki Gbeho, has released US$8 million from the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund to support the multisectoral response to the cholera outbreak in six priority locations across the country.

The six identified locations include, Renk, Malakal, Maban, Aweil East, Rubkona and Jamjang.

“People in these high-risk locations face elevated risks due to significant population movement and limited access to critical health and sanitation services. This allocation will address their most urgent health and water, sanitation and hygiene needs to mitigate the impact of cholera,” said Gbeho

The $8 million allocation by the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund comes at a critical time, prioritizing urgent multisectoral interventions in health, water, sanitation and hygiene, logistics and multisector refugee response in the six hotspot areas to curb the spread of cholera.

A statement from the UN humanitarian affairs agency (OCHA) said the multisectoral response will focus on early detection, treatment, infection control measures, and the provision of clean water and improved sanitation for approximately 730,000 people in the six locations where fragile health systems and population movements exacerbate the impact and spread of cholera.

According to OCHA, since the declaration of cholera in Renk on 28 October, over 5,900 cases of cholera have been reported from seven out of 10 states in South Sudan with Rubkona in Unity State accounting for 47% of all reported cases, followed by Malakal in Upper Nile State at 20%.

It further said the vaccination campaign that was rolled out in Renk on 10 December targeting 105,000 people has been completed with additional vaccination campaigns planned for Malakal, Juba, Aweil West and Canal/Pigi counties to contain the outbreak

During her visit to Malakal on 17 December, the Humanitarian Coordinator underscored the importance of coordination between the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization and partners for an effective, multisectoral response to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with cholera and prevent the spillover to other areas.

“We sincerely thank our donors for their generous contributions, which enable us to provide life-saving assistance to those in critical need. We appeal for their continued support to sustain our efforts in saving lives and building the resilience of vulnerable communities,” she stressed.

The South Sudan Humanitarian Fund is a multi-donor humanitarian financing mechanism managed by OCHA under the leadership of the Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan.

(ST)