Juba, Jan 3 The International Organization for Migration (IOM), a UN migration agency, said Friday that it had scaled up its response to the ongoing cholera outbreak in South Sudan with crucial aid supplies.
Muhammad Assar, IOM's head of Operations, said the essential water purification tablets, commonly known as Aqua Tabs, are part of a coordinated effort of the Core humanitarian pipeline to curb the spread of cholera, which has been exacerbated by flooding, limited access to clean water, and constrained health services.
"With support from the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance, we are working tirelessly to provide critical health and sanitation services to the most vulnerable populations," Assar said in a statement issued in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
The UN agency said it has also scaled up its water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions as part of the response by providing clean, safe, and sufficient water in key areas such as the Renk transit center, the IDP camp, and sites in Bentiu and Malakal, where IOM is the main actor in providing water to the vulnerable communities.
IOM said it's also expanding emergency water supply interventions to encompass parts of nearby towns of Rubkona, Bentiu, and Malakal, with a particular focus on health facilities, cholera treatment centres, oral rehydration centres and other identified cholera hotspot areas lacking access to reliable water resources.
Disinfection campaigns and community hygiene awareness programmes focusing on handwashing, safe water handling, and cholera prevention measures have also been activated in displacements and high-risk areas, Xinhua news agency reported.
IOM said it has reached thousands of individuals with emergency assistance since the South Sudan Ministry of Health declared the outbreak on October 28, 2024, but the need remains immense. It stressed that its response is closely coordinated with South Sudan through the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization, and other humanitarian actors to ensure a unified and effective approach to tackling the crisis.
The UN agency committed to continuing its support to the government and called on the international community to scale up support for South Sudan's health system and affected communities.
--IANS
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