The World Health Organization (WHO) and South Sudan announced jointly on Thursday that they will soon launch a major vaccination campaign in the African nation's Upper Nile state to address a meningitis outbreak that has already killed three people.
According to a press release issued Thursday, the campaign will target 150,000 people out of 220,000 living in the city of Malakal.
The first Meningitis case in Malakal was reported by health officials on April 12. Subsequently, the state ministry of health declared the outbreak on 30 April. Eighty-seven people are currently receiving treatment.
"Partners are boosting capacity at the Malakal hospital, including by establishing an isolation ward, and are monitoring neighboring counties for an eventual further spread of the outbreak," the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarians Affairs (OCHA) in South Sudan said in a report.
A community outreach campaign would also be implemented to increase communities' awareness of meningitis and help identify new cases as early as possible, the OCHA added.
Meanwhile, WHO medical officer Tesfaye Zewde said the UN agency has been supporting the health ministry in its efforts to tackle the Meningitis outbreak.
"WHO has supported the state ministry of health in taking samples to Nairobi for testing. We are also helping in transporting the vaccines," Dr. Zewde was quoted as saying by the UN News Center.
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