The death of about 90 people in Fangak County of South Sudan’s Jonglei state in the past two months remains mysterious as the country’s health ministry says a team sent there could not establish the facts regarding the matter. 

In November, officials and locals in Fangak County claimed that a mysterious illness had taken about 90 lives since October 2. The county commissioner Boutrus Biel then told Radio Tamazuj that victims present with chest pains, vomiting, and diarrhea before succumbing.

But speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Saturday, Dr. John Rumunu, the ministry’s head of preventive health services, said the team reported a high prevalence of malaria cases but could neither deny nor ascertain the presence of a ‘strange disease’ in Fangak County. 

“Last week, we dispatched a rapid response team to investigate these reported deaths. We were not able to verify this huge death of 89 people and were not able to establish any deaths," he said. “We found there was an upsurge in malaria. There was 49% positivity of 162 samples tested. But again, we can not refute that deaths have occurred.” 

Last month, local authorities in neighboring Ayod County said floodwaters in Pagil Payam have been contaminated by a suspected crude oil spill, displacing residents from their homes. 

Responding to the reports, Dr. Rumunu, said: “As a ministry, we only dispatched a rapid response team to investigate diseases. About pollution, the ministry of the environment will be in the better place to answer.” 

Attempts by Radio Tamazuj to reach out to the national environment ministry and the state officials were futile. 

Fangak County has been adversely affected by the floods.