Malaria kills 41 within two weeks in Greater Pibor Administrative Area

By Awan Achiek

At least 41 malaria deaths have been confirmed within the past two weeks in Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA), said a local official on Tuesday.

Oleyo Akuer, the Minister of Information Greater Pibor Administrative Area, said that 36 children were among the dead in Likuangole County.

“Most of them died outside the town of Likuangole which is a remote area. Five of them died inside Likuangole town,” Akuer told the Dawn in an interview.

He disclosed that about 200 cases are being treated at a local unit in Likuangole County, adding that they are experiencing a critical shortage of medicines due to prolonged supply shortages.

“The sick are still receiving treatment in Likuangole hospital, which is a unit, not a big hospital,” Akuer said.

He said that the poor road network is hampering efforts by authorities to reach out to people living in the southern part of GPAA.

South Sudan records an estimated 2.8 million malaria cases and 6,680 deaths annually, translating to 7,630 cases and 18 deaths daily, according to the Ministry of Health.

On July 16, 2024, Ministry of Health launched the R21 malaria vaccination campaign targeting about 265,000 children across 28 counties in the country’s six states.

The initiative was led by the Ministry of Health in partnership with UNICEF, WHO and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.