Cholera vaccination campaign underway in Bor

An oral cholera vaccination campaign is ongoing in the Jonglei State capital, Bor.

The drive was launched on Tuesday and will run through till the 19th of this month.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday, Dr. Samuel Majur, the Director-General in the state health ministry, said more than 70,000 people, aged one and above, will be vaccinated during the 3-day campaign in Jonglei.

“We are targeting 71, 852 people, ages from one year old and above, in Bor town and other parts, especially those in the displaced camps. The vaccine is administered through the mouth and it is safe and simple. From today until the 18th, we will be offering the first doses because we have two doses of this oral cholera vaccine for full immunity. A single dose only offers partial immunity,” Dr. Majur said.

The health official pointed out that the second and final phase of the campaign will be launched after two weeks.

“Two weeks from now we will sit with our partners, the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN’s children agency UNICEF and our implementing partner here at the ministry so that we launch the second phase of the campaign to help protect our people,” he said.

He advised the residents of the town to take the vaccine, emphasizing that a full dose is essential for protection against the deadly disease.

Dr. Goerge Wani Wonni, the World Health Organization (WHO) state coordinator, said the ongoing campaign will help avert the risk of an outbreak in the flood-hit Bor.

“With the flood situation, access to clean drinking water becomes an issue, latrines become contaminated. And this increases the risk of a cholera outbreak,” Dr. Wani said. “So, with partners, an assessment was carried out and it was recommended that there be vaccination. And we are looking at areas where the displaced are congested like Fangak, Langbar, Panapet, Makuac, Malualagurbar, and Anyidi. People in the areas I mentioned some of them come from the areas of Duk and Twic.”

The WHO official urged Bor residents to take part in the vaccination drive.

Meanwhile, Dr. Joseph Wamala, an officer with the WHO Juba office emphasized the importance of vaccines in saving lives, warning that floods increase the risk of a cholera outbreak.

While urging the residents to take precautionary measures, Dr. Wamala further pointed out that WHO is working with the national health ministry to extend the drive to the hotspot areas.

According to WHO, cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera.

It causes severe diarrhea, dehydration, and fatalities if left untreated, even in previously healthy people.