Cholera hits Unity state’s Payinjiar county, kills 2

November 7, 2016 (NYAL) – Two children have died and over 30 people admitted following a Cholera outbreak in South Sudan’s Unity state’s Nyal and Ganyliel payams of Payinjiar county, health officials said.

Of the suspected cases, he said, 21 people tested positive in Nyal and 11 were confirmed to have Cholera in neighbouring Ganyliel.

Gatliah warned of possibilities of the disease escalating in coming weeks, due to the complete absence of Cholera treatment kits.

“It is sad that today, we have lost two kids simply because we do not have no enough health treatments kits for Cholera,” he explained.

Local and international non-governmental organizations on the ground also confirmed the disease outbreak in the two payams located in Payinjiar.

The county health director, however, says lack of Cholera treatment materials could jeopardize efforts to fight the water-borne disease.

He appealed to humanitarian relief agencies to quickly intervene.

“We are appealing to the international organizations and United Nations agencies to quickly come and rescues lives of innocent civilians on the ground,” he told Sudan Tribune.

Meanwhile, county officials have attributed the spread of the disease to traders conducting business with people across the river.

For the last three weeks, Cholera has affected thousands of people in South Sudan, as aid agencies redouble efforts to treat patients by creating more awareness among the population living in UN camps.

(ST)