22 killed from Cholera outbreak in South Sudan

Juba, Aug 9 (IANS) At least 22 people were killed in a cholera outbreak in South Sudan representing a case fatality rate of (CFR) of 2.49 per cent, the UN humanitarian agency said on Tuesday.

The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said cholera had been confirmed in three locations in South Sudan: Juba and Terekeka in Central Equatoria and the Duk Islands in Jonglei, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the UN, Juba had recorded 808 cholera cases and nine deaths (CFR 1.11 per cent), while Tereke-ka had reported 14 cases and five deaths (CFR 35.71 per cent).

In Duk, the outbreak is affecting five islands -- Atuek, Atul, Koyom, Moldova and Watkuac, where there had been 61 suspected cases and eight deaths, representing a CFR of 13.11 per cent. Moldova is the most affected island, with 26 cases.

In Juba, the cases spread rapidly following the eruption of fighting in July and access to clean water and safe food had become increasingly difficult as a result of rising costs due to continued devaluation of the South Sudanese Pound.

"While the CFR for Juba is deemed within the acceptable range, the CFR for the outbreaks in Duk and Terekeka is well above the cholera threshold of one per cent," the UN said.

It said partners were ramping up their response and an integrated response strategy that includes surveillance, hygiene promotion, health education and provision of water, sanitation and hygiene had been rolled out in areas with a high number of cases.