Admin
Awerial – Lakes State
An emergency cholera vaccination campaign has successfully reached more than 26,000 people in Awerial County, Lakes State, as part of the public health response to contain the disease outbreak and strengthen routine immunization for children in affected communities.
The campaign was conducted between May 18 and June 16, 2026, under the supervision of the Lakes State Ministry of Health, the Awerial County Health Department, and the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, in collaboration with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). It targeted internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities across nine locations in the Puluk Administrative Area, including Minkaman, where limited healthcare services and the approaching rainy season have heightened public health risks.
The response included an oral cholera vaccination campaign for everyone aged one year and above, alongside a catch-up routine immunization campaign for children under five years of age aimed at closing gaps in coverage for essential childhood vaccines.
According to the organizing authorities, 26,821 people received the oral cholera vaccine over an eight-day period, including 5,665 children under the age of five. In addition, 21,737 children benefited from the catch-up immunization campaign, which provided vaccines against measles, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), hepatitis B, pneumococcal disease, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), rotavirus, and tuberculosis.
To ensure vaccines reached all targeted communities, 33 cholera vaccination teams and 19 routine immunization teams were deployed. The teams operated through mobile clinics and fixed vaccination sites, using vehicles and motorcycles to reach remote areas, supported by community awareness and mobilization campaigns.
Health authorities said the campaign has contributed to limiting the spread of cholera while strengthening protection for children who had missed routine immunization doses. They emphasized that sustained vaccination campaigns remain a cornerstone of disease prevention and are essential for protecting the most vulnerable populations from outbreaks and other vaccine-preventable diseases in South Sudan.
