The International Organization for Immigration (IOM) said its team had been deployed to Jonglei on 25 April in response to a cholera outbreak which affected over 230 people in Ayod County.

IOM further said that its team has been supporting local health partners to rapidly scale up the emergency and contain the outbreak in a hard-to-reach and often insecure area of the country.

It pointed out that relief agencies have responded to cholera outbreaks across the country, with nine countries currently reporting active transmission, including three in Jonglei alone.

 Since the cholera outbreak was declared in June 2016, IOM said, over 7,200 cases have been reported, including 229 deaths according to World Health Organization (WHO) and the South Sudan Ministry of Health

The agency noted that its response began after 140 suspected cases of cholera were reported in Ayod during the first weeks of April, putting the population of approximately 175,000 people at risk.

Access to Ayod is difficult during the rainy season, and its proximity to the Nile River increases its vulnerability to outbreaks of water-borne diseases such as cholera, according to IOM.

It added that due to the ongoing crisis in Jonglei, health facilities in Ayod have not been functioning and face a lack of health workers and medical supplies.

IOM pointed out that majority of the suspected cholera cases come from communities living in cattle camps along the river, saying it has established oral rehydration points in three hotspot areas to increase access to treatment.

“Conditions are extremely difficult for families in Jiech,” explains Carol Kipsang, an IOM health officer and nurse. “We met one mother who was caring for her newborn and her sister’s child after her sister died from cholera two weeks ago in her community. The young mother walked one hour to the IOM clinic to receive treatment for the children and seek nutritional support for her malnourished daughter.”

 IOM indicated that it has reported treating at least 40 people suffering from cholera symptoms and conducted nearly 2,400 health consultations, saying its team plans to hand over operations to CMD in the coming days but will continue providing additional supplies for the on-going response.