Doctors Without Borders vaccinate over 130,000 in South Sudan against meningitis A
In an effort to contain a meningococcal meningitis outbreak in South Sudan, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF), in collaboration with the South Sudanese Ministry of Health vaccinated a total of 133,633 people after reports of a meningitis A outbreak that affected 141 people and killed seven, according to a MSF UK news release today.
South Sudan
Image/CIA
Starting on May 15, and lasting for 10 days, health workers were deployed in the northern city of Malakal to vaccinate the vulnerable populations there.
South Sudan’s Upper Nile state is located in the African Meningitis Belt.
According to MSF emergency medical coordinator, Olimpia de la Rosa, “This vaccine protects people from meningitis A for ten years, seven more than the previous one,” talking of vaccine introduced to the area a few years ago.
Speaking on the seriousness of this strain of meningitis, de la Rosa say, “Even if treated, some of those contracting the disease can be deaf or disabled for life, so vaccinating all these people was really important.”
The South Sudanese Ministry of Health plans to continue vaccination in other areas with the goal of covering all of South Sudan by 2014.
Find out more about MSF’s work in South Sudan
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