Alali County of Akobo State is facing a critical shortage of medicines, according to local authorities.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Saturday, the county commissioner, Thomas Onyongo Okan blamed the shortage of drugs on floods that cut off the county from the rest of the state since October last year.

He pointed out that cases of malaria are on the rise within the county, adding that the locals now depend on herbal medicines. “Malaria and diarrhea cases are on the rise. Since last week, we recorded 80 cases and three people died of malaria due to lack of treatment,” Okan said.

The commissioner urged health agencies operating in the country to intervene. 

Close to 1 million people in many parts of South Sudan were directly affected by flooding that destroyed 73,000 metric tons of potential harvests and wiped out tens of thousands of cattle and goats on which people depend for survival.

In October 2019, President Salva Kiir declared a state of emergency in Bahr el Ghazal, Greater Upper Nile and Greater Equatoria because of the floods, calling for international assistance to be stepped up.