JUBA, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) — South Sudan, in partnership with two United Nations (UN) agencies, on Tuesday launched an integrated health campaign to protect over 2.1 million children and 1.2 million adults from polio and schistosomiasis, two debilitating diseases.
The four-day campaign will see health workers and volunteers moving door-to-door across 40 counties to administer the Oral Polio Vaccine Type 2 to children under five years old, while providing preventive measures with Praziquantel tablets to school-aged children and at-risk communities of schistosomiasis in three counties.
South Sudan Minister of Health Sarah Cleto Rial said the dual strategy the ministry is rolling out with the World Health Organization and UN Children’s Fund aims to overcome the challenges of reaching populations in difficult-to-access areas and improving vaccination coverage to stop poliovirus type 2 outbreaks, which have increased due to low immunization rates.
“We are urging parents and our communities to fully join the fight by having their children vaccinated to strengthen their immunity and mobilize support to ensure the successful implementation of the campaign,” Cleto said in a joint statement issued in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
She said the integrated approach represents a significant step forward in public health efficiency, enabling the ministry to address two major health priorities with a single, coordinated effort, thereby maximizing resources and outreach.
