The over 2.5 million children in need of humanitarian protection will be vulnerable to further illness, food insecurity and violence if the COVID-19 situation worsens in South Sudan, warns Save the Children.
There are two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country, the agency cautions that a rapid spread of the disease will cause havoc in the already-stretched health services.
The government has acted quickly to put in place measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, including the rapid and immediate closure of all institutions of learning, markets except food stalls; limited movement; and an enforced curfew.
Save the Children is concerned that measures designed to fight the disease should be in the interest of children, including their right to access health services and information in a child friendly manner.
Country Director of the agency Rama Hansraj says ‘With humanitarian funding already in decline, this global pandemic caught everyone unaware.
She adds funding is urgently needed to ensure their response in South Sudan reaches every child, especially those most in need.
Rama appeals to the governments to allocate greater funds to building a robust health system, to ensure it has the capacity to not only treat the current COVID-19 outbreak, but also allow it to continue to focus on other killer diseases of children under five.