MSF Calls for Urgent Action as Cholera Outbreak Escalates Across South Sudan

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has urgently appealed to local authorities, as well as national and international humanitarian organizations, to scale up efforts in response to the rapidly escalating cholera outbreak across South Sudan.

Albert Stern, MSF’s emergency response coordinator in South Sudan, revealed that the number of suspected cholera cases has surged alarmingly in recent weeks, overwhelming the capacity of medical facilities, particularly in Unity camps and Central Equatoria states.

Stern highlighted the dire living conditions faced by communities in these areas, noting that many have endured appalling circumstances for years, compounded by dwindling donor funding. As resources continue to diminish, these communities are increasingly vulnerable to disease outbreaks. Cholera treatment facilities are struggling to cope, contributing to the swift spread of the disease. By December 20, 2024, Rubkona County alone had reported over 4,000 cases, underscoring the scale of the crisis.

“In just four weeks, MSF teams in Bentiu have treated over 1,200 cholera patients, many of whom arrived in critical condition due to severe dehydration. Tragically, 92 lives have been lost in Unity State,” Stern said.

The situation is worsening in Juba’s former Protection of Civilians (PoC) camps, where over 63,000 people reside. As of now, more than 1,700 suspected cholera cases have been reported, with at least 25 deaths.

MSF’s head of mission in South Sudan, Mamman Mustapha, condemned the outbreak as a result of systemic neglect, stressing that contaminated drinking water and inadequate sanitation facilities are fueling the rapid spread of cholera. He warned that without urgent action to address these critical issues, cholera cases could spiral further in the coming days and weeks.

Martha Nyachar Gatduel, a victim from Mankuay village in Rubkona, shared her family’s painful experience, recounting how her four-year-old son became severely ill with cholera. “We had to borrow a bed from a neighbor and carry him through the night to the treatment center. It was difficult. We fetch water from the river, drink it without boiling, and we have no latrine,” she said.

MSF is currently responding to the cholera outbreak in five out of seven affected states, including Upper Nile, Northern Bahr El Ghazal, Central Equatoria, Unity, and Jonglei states. The organization has called for the immediate roll-out of a nationwide vaccination campaign, improved vaccine delivery logistics, and increased funding for the ongoing response.