Cholera kills 44 people in South Sudan in six months

The UN humanitarian agency said on Monday that cholera outbreak, which began in South Sudan in June, has now surpassed the 3,100 case mark, with 3,145 cases and 44 deaths reported by Nov. 17.

The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report issued in Juba that communities along the River Nile are worst affected and account for 91 percent of reported cholera cases.

The report came after the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said last week that it has strengthened disease detection and response in South Sudan to help prevent further disease spread, save lives and resources.

WHO Representative to South Sudan Abdulmumini Usman said the UN health agency is working with the health ministry and partners to develop local skills and knowledge, including training more than 1,300 health workers in such areas as disease detection, outbreak investigation and response.

"WHO is doing everything it can to detect and respond to multiple disease outbreaks and to ensure that the Ministry of Health and partners have the skills and knowledge to do their part as best they can with the limited resources available," Usman said in a statement released in Juba.

WHO estimates that 12.3 million people in South Sudan are at risk due to disease outbreaks.

"Health organizations are supporting the Ministry of Health to respond to the outbreak and investigate and treat suspected cases. Twenty-three oral rehydration points have been established across the country," the report said. Endit