The Ministry of Health in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) on Tuesday launched a cholera vaccination campaign following the arrival of vaccine shipments last week.
The ministry received 250,000 doses of the oral cholera vaccine from the National Ministry of Health in response to the recent outbreak in the County.
According to Ochon John, the GPAA Minister of Health, the campaign targets individuals aged one year and above.
He said that vaccinators have been deployed to various locations across GPAA to administer the vaccines.
“Today, we officially launched the vaccination campaign in Pibor, the capital of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area. The campaign is ongoing, and we are targeting to vaccinate 230,000 people in Boma, Pibor, Likuangole, Gumuruk, Labrab, Marow, Verteth and other areas,” Ochon said.
Minister Ochon also urged residents to maintain proper hygiene and sanitation practices even after vaccination to prevent the further spread of the disease.
He called on the national government and health partners to facilitate the transportation of vaccinatorsto remote and hard-to-reach areas.
“As we speak, the outbreak has been largely contained around the headquarters. However, due to the movement of people, cholera has spread to other areas such as cattle camps, which are difficult to access and in urgent need of vaccination,” he explained.
“I call upon the government and health partners to assist in delivering vaccines and transporting vaccinators to these remote areas. We need vehicles to reach these far-flung communities,” he added.
Last month, the GPAA Ministry of Health reported over 41 cholera-related deaths and 621 confirmed cases.
Despite efforts to contain the outbreak, the number of cases continues to rise.
