Torit State Health Minister has confirmed the death of ten people and seventeen others suffering from measles in Kidepo Valley County of Torit State.
Clement Laku Chichim says a surveillance team headed by the Director of Primary Health Care recorded about 27 cases of measles in the area.
He says the outbreak was reported this month.
‘Last week, we received a call from the ground that there were some three cases of measles reported dead. Samples was taken from the ground there by our partners and taken to Juba with ministry of health and then it was proved that it is measles itself. So we constituted a team which was headed by director of Primary Health Care with also our partners are on the ground. While on the ground after getting the assessment report, the report says there were twenty-seven 27 cases registered and out of the twenty-seven (27), ten (10) of them unfortunately passed away’.
State Information Minister Margret Idwa Okuye says surveillance team is on the ground to vaccinate children and treat the victims.
She explains that the government is working hard to rescue the situation in the affected area.
‘The team is already at the ground, the ministry has already taken measures. As I am speaking to you, the team is already down vaccinating the children and as well as giving some medication. And another team is again on the ground trying to assess and see exactly to establish the number. Surveillance team is already on the ground so that it goes around arresting the situation, the vaccination is already there’
The officials were speaking in a press release on Thursday.