An alarming number of children suffering from severe malaria have been admitted to the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)-supported Aweil State Hospital in Northern Bahr el-Ghazal (NBeG) State, over the past three months.
The admissions started rising in June and by September, up to 400 cases a week were being recorded – more than double the figures in September the previous year, causing serious concern, warned MSF.
“Every year, there is a surge in malaria cases during the rainy season in Aweil and we conduct preventive activities for tens of thousands of children. We open test and treatment centers so that people can quickly be diagnosed and receive treatment, and we establish a
malaria ward inside the hospital with 72 beds. However, this year we have faced an exceptional situation and the hospital has been completely overwhelmed,” said MSF’s Head of Mission in South Sudan Mamman Mustapha.
“Even though we increased the number of beds in the malaria ward to 94 in September, they were not enough, and many patients were still being treated in the corridors.
“Over the past month alone, we have admitted an average of 43 children suffering from severe forms of malaria each day, with many requiring blood transfusions,” he said.
“Since September,” Mustapha added, “we have carried out an average of 14 blood transfusions for malaria each day, and at any one time, there have been an average of 140 children admitted, suffering from severe malaria.
“These are terrible statistics. It should not be the case that so many children are ending up in hospital with advanced forms of malaria when it can so easily be treated at a health clinic.
“Cases of malaria have also surged outside of the hospital and one of the key reasons is the earlier arrival of the rains this year, which led to extensive flooding over many more months.”
Over 1 million people have been impacted by flooding in South Sudan this year, with NBeG being one of the most affected states.
However, it is the near-collapse of the primary health care system in NBeG and the ensuing lack of access to take-home treatments that have led to more children requiring hospitalization.
Over the past two years, many primary healthcare clinics in NBeG have been impacted by funding cuts that have left them with no medicines and no staff. Ongoing reforms to the health funding system also mean that supplies in the handful of facilities that remain open have
been quickly used up due to the unexpected surge in malaria cases and delays in restocking.
“While efforts have been made to replenish supplies in health clinics in Northern Bahr el Ghazal over recent weeks, the delays have cost lives and, with the malaria season not yet over, many more children are going to end up in the hospital unless urgent action is taken
to improve people’s access to simple treatment,” Mustapha explained.
“In the past week, we have added more beds in the hospital to try and reduce congestion in the corridors, and we’ve opened a seventh test and treat center that operates 24/7, but more are needed in the most at-risk communities so that children can be treated before their condition deteriorates and hospital treatment becomes the only option,” he added.
This year, South Sudan received its first doses of the R21 malaria vaccine, marking a major milestone in the country’s fight against the disease.
MSF is supporting the South Sudanese Ministry of Health in the rollout of the vaccine and is hopeful that with increased coverage, it will control the impacts of the disease in future.