Cholera outbreak in South Sudan has claimed the lives of 248 people across the country.
At least 8,160 cases of cholera had been reported by 15th May by the United Nations office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
“While the outbreak initially spread to counties along the River Nile, counties most recently affected are increasingly distant from the River. Nine out of the 19 counties affected by the cholera outbreak since June 2016 have reported cholera cases in the past four weeks and are considered to have active transmission of the disease,” OCHA said in its latest report released in Juba.
The UN organization further said that the cholera numbers on record are ten percent of the total cases that have occurred in the country.
70 percent of those infected with the disease are children and young adults under the age of 30 years according to OCHA. The upcoming rainy seasons has raised more concerned of more infections due to continued conflict, displacement and inadequate access to clean water and sanitation in the world’s youngest country.
“The response has been challenging, however, due to the locus of many outbreaks in cattle camps, remote and militarized locations, ongoing population displacement, and insecurity in areas affected by the outbreak,” said OCHA.
Cholera is a gastrointestinal disease, usually spread by contaminated water and food, and can cause severe diarrhea that, in extreme cases, can lead to fatal dehydration and kidney failure within hours.
