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Published On: Sat, May 11th, 2013

UN agency announces meningitis vaccination campaign in South Sudan

Responding to a meningococcal meningitis outbreak in South Sudan’s Upper Nile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced they will carry out a vaccination campaign where the dangerous bacterial infection has killed at least three, according to the UN News Centre.

South Sudan Image/CIA

South Sudan
Image/CIA

The campaign will target 150,000 people out of 220,000 living in the city of Malakal. The first case was reported by health officials on 12 April and the state ministry of health declared the outbreak on 30 April. Eighty-seven people are currently receiving treatment.

“Partners are boosting capacity at the Malakal hospital, including by establishing an isolation ward, and are monitoring neighboring counties for an eventual further spread of the outbreak,” the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarians Affairs (OCHA) in South Sudan said in a report.

Last week, Relief Web reported, “The State Ministry of Health has so far collected 11 CSF [Cerebrospinal fluid] samples, these were tested and 8 of them tested positive for Neisseria Meningitis sero group A using latex agglutination testing (Pastorex rapid test),” partly reads the release, signed by Kariom Makur, the ministry’s undersecretary.

The current outbreak comes just three months after the Health Ministry declared the country free from the bacterial disease.

South Sudan is located in the region of Africa known as the “African meningitis belt”, a region of the continent prone to meningitis epidemics.

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About the Author

- Writer, Co-Founder and Executive Editor of The Global Dispatch. Robert has been covering news in the areas of health, world news and politics for a variety of online news sources. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the website, Outbreak News Today and hosts the podcast, Outbreak News Interviews on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify Robert is politically Independent and a born again Christian Follow @bactiman63

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  1. Lastest SERO News | Dev Inform says:

    […] UN agency announces meningitis vaccination campaign in South Sudan Last week, Relief Web reported, “The State Ministry of Health has so far collected 11 CSF [Cerebrospinal fluid] samples, these were tested and 8 of them tested positive for Neisseria Meningitis sero group A using latex agglutination testing (Pastorex … Read more on The Global Dispatch […]

  2. MUSAorg says:

    The Meningitis Foundation of America (MFA), a national organization, would like the public & media to know that information is available regarding the diagnosis, treatment & prevention of meningitis. MFA was founded in 1997 by parents whose children were affected by meningitis. In addition to supporting vaccination & preventing meningitis, the MFA provides information to educate the public & medical professionals so that the early diagnosis, treatment &, most important, prevention of meningitis, will save lives. Meningitis is a dangerous & often times fatal inflammation of the brain &/or spinal cord that can leave survivors with serious life-long physical problems MFA would like to be considered as a news resource for the disease. For further information, visit the MFA website at www musa org.

    Thank you,
    MFA
    Box 1818
    El Mirage AZ 85335
    480 270 2652
    World Meningitis Day 24 April 2014
    www comoonline org
    Educate~Vaccinate~Eradicate

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