Jonglei State: Deadly Cholera Epidemic Hits Duk County; 21 dead, 100 hospitalized
3 min readBy Wenne Madyt Dengs, Juba, South Sudan
April 5, 2017 (SSB) — Duk County’s Health Department and the Sudan Medical Care (SMC) said twenty-one people died and more than 100 others hospitalized due to cholera outbreak in northern Jonglei State. Dozens of patients are currently undergoing medication in Padiet primary health care, some 180 km from Bor, the capital of South Sudan’s Jonglei state
Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio Cholerae. The bacteria lead to severe dehydration and death if not promptly treated. The outbreak is currently confined to the Palaidhiim village in Padiet, Dongchak Payam.
The outbreak poses a considerable health threat to local community given the eroded health care facilities in the area, health officials say. Humanitarian organizations are responding to the outbreak due to government’s low capacity to handle the situation.
There are thousands of internally displaced people from neighboring states stationed in Duk County of Jonglei state who are not at risk of the cholera outbreak. Daniel Thon Rhot, a health practitioner who works in Duk County for the SMC, says that the local population and the IDPS in the area are at risk of cholera attack in five villages of Padiet, Ayueldit, Palaidhiim, Panajak and Kuei. An estimated population of about three thousand.
The condition is also further worsened by the insufficienthygienic conditions, especially in the villages, where no latrine and people mostly defecate on openly ground. Two-thirds of Duk County’s current population does not have access to clean water supply.
Humanitarian health cluster partners SMC and Africa and Rise are targeting general population at risk through surveillance, health promotion, and laboratory and treatment/case management.
The County Health unit in partnership with SMC (Sudan Medical Care) and health partners are mobilizing a rapid WASH (Water Sanitation and Hygiene) and health response, including a public outreach campaign.
“Given the overall situation in Duk County, containing the outbreak at an early stage is critical to avoid the spread of the disease (who is saying this? Kindly attribute quote because you are only reporting). The failure to control the outbreak could have immense public health consequences, straining the overstretched capacity of health services and resulting in an increase of morbidity and mortality rates”, Said head of SMC in Duk.
The outbreak was first reported two weeks ago and numbers of confirmed cases have reached 100.
“Are we sure that the government and MSF confirmed the cholera outbreak?”
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