United Nations Children Fund or UNICEF says it is in need of 4.6 million US Dollars to fund emergency cholera response for six months in South Sudan as cases rise to more than 700 with 32 deaths in Juba and Bor.
In a statement UNICEF laments that ‘it’s a race against time to prevent the spread of cholera up the River Nile especially during rainy season’.
The agency adds that its priority at the moment is reaching the most vulnerable children who urgently need clean water and vaccinations.
UNICEF South Sudan Representative Jonathan Veitch says ‘Cholera is a deadly disease that inordinately affects young children,’ declaring that children make up one fifth of cholera deaths in South Sudan.
The UN children’s agency is working with children and teachers throughout the country to raise awareness to prevent cholera from spreading further.
Representative Veitch warns that if the current outbreak spreads beyond Juba and Bor especially into conflict hard hit states, lacking functioning health facilities, there could be a devastating loss of lives.
UNICEF reveals that about 184 health facilities in conflict hard hit areas have been closed or destroyed.