Health officials in Yei River State say that malaria is the leading cause of death in the state after they recorded high rates of infection and deaths last month.
Yei River County health director Michael Lugala Nicholas addressing the press on Tuesday said that 27 malaria patients died and more than 15,000 cases recorded in March alone.
Lugala said the prevalence is higher among women, children and the elderly.
“Malaria cases have gone up to 15,550 cases both in adults and under five years and we have recorded 27 dead cases of malaria only in the month of March,” he said.
The official said that conflict has played a big role in undermining the efforts to contain the spread of malaria.
“The challenges are that the communities in the villages have stayed for over four years with access to the mass distribution of mosquito nets due to the prevalence of insecurity in the rural villages,” he added.
Yei River State coordinator for Malaria Prevention Justo Lubang Yoasa said malaria remains the number one killer in the state.
“When you look at the status of malaria in Yei, out of five patients tested, three are found positive with malaria and this means malaria is the leading cause of deaths in Yei River State,” he said.
Lubang added that despite the government’s efforts to combat the spread of malaria, accessibility to health centers remains a challenge.
William Sunday a parent taking care of his child at Yei Civil Hospital said the high prevalence rates of the disease is mainly due to the absence of mosquito nets.
He appealed to the state government and health partners to immediately distribute mosquito nets in order to reduce to the spread of malaria.
Yei River State is one of the areas in South Sudan badly affected by the 2016 crisis.
According to the World Health Organization, malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is preventable and curable.