24, July 2013(BOR) – More than ten thousand…

24, July 2013(BOR) – More than ten thousand children out of the planned 27,000 in Unity state have been vaccinated against measles, a highly contagious disease that broke out in the state early this month according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in South Sudan.

‘‘A campaign to vaccinate children in Unity State following a spike in reported measles cases in Guit County earlier in the month was almost completed. As of 21 July, around 10,700 children under ?ve in displaced and host communities in Guit and Koch counties had been vaccinated,’’ said UNOCHA in the latest issue of the South Sudan humanitarian bulletin.

The bulletin covering the period between 15-21 July 2013 says the vaccination campaign aims at immunising a total of 27,000 children. ‘’The campaign targets around 27,000 children, and is expected to conclude on 22 July.’’

In Dorein of Pibour County, the report notes that humanitarian agencies are preparing a response to the needs of about 2,950 households. Most of them are in need of food which will be distributed next week.

‘‘In the coming week, and in line with identi?ed needs, partners will prioritize food distributions,’’ said OCHA.

In Northern Bahr el Ghazal, the UN agency says in the report that local authorities have committed to providing land to 26,000 displaced persons with aid agencies focusing on the food needs of the displaced.

During the period covered by the OCHA report, 300 refugees from South Kordofan State are said to have arrived in Fashoda and Malakal counties in Upper Nile State. The refugees said they were fleeing intensified hostilities. An assessment of their needs by aid organizations found that they are in needs of food, shelter and water.
(ST)