Juba, Jan 11 (IANS): South Sudan's health ministry said that it has rolled out a week-long campaign aimed at vaccinating more than 300,000 people against cholera in Rubkona, a hotspot county in Unity State.

The ministry said the campaign, backed by the World Health Organization, United Nations Children's Fund, Medecins Sans Frontieres and various other partners, is an important step to curb the ongoing outbreak and brings the total number of counties where the vaccination campaign has been conducted to four nationwide.

South Sudan's Vice President for Service Cluster Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, who spoke during the launch, expressed the government's commitment to fully combat the outbreak and ensure effective measures are implemented to stop the spread of the disease.

"The rollout of the cholera vaccine nationwide is part of the broader government efforts aimed at combating the cholera outbreak and saving lives," Akol said in a statement issued in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

According to the statement, Rubkona County is one of the 31 hotspot areas experiencing cholera outbreaks, accounting for 50 percent of reported cases. The campaign also aims to protect vulnerable populations from severe diarrheal disease.

Minister of Health Yolanda Awel Deng called on all health sector stakeholders to enhance their efforts and provide essential support by timely implementing effective preventive measures under the leadership of the government, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The vaccine we are introducing is lifesaving, and I encourage the community to get vaccinated and adhere to all precautionary measures to minimise the risk of contracting cholera," she added. Since South Sudan declared a cholera outbreak in October 2024, more than 17,581 cases have been reported nationwide with a case fatality rate of 1.5 per cent as of January 7, according to UN agencies.

With support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, over 1.3 million doses of vaccines have been secured to tackle the cholera outbreak in hotspots nationwide.