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Amuru on high alert as cholera breaks out in Lamwo, South Sudan

Waste and stagnant water in a drainage channel at Elegu border point in December 2024. Residents in the area say they don’t have enough sanitation facilities such as toilets. PHOTO/EMMY DANIEL OJARA

What you need to know:

  • Dr Omoya said environmental health staff, Village Health Teams (VHTs), and sub-county leaders have listed all people suspected to have come into contact with the confirmed cases.

Amuru District is on high alert following a cholera outbreak in the neighbouring Lamwo District. The disease has so far claimed one life and left more than 60 people admitted to hospitals.

In the neighbouring South Sudan, the health ministry confirmed the disease outbreak in Renk County, Upper Nile State, on October 28, 2024.

As of last week, one person had been confirmed dead due to cholera, and several others were admitted to Agoro Health Centre III in Lamwo District.

By Monday, a situation report from the Lamwo District health taskforce indicated that 53 people had been discharged from the health facility, while nine cases remained active but in stable states.

Dr Denis Ocula Omoya, the Lamwo District health officer, said in an interview at the weekend that his office received information from the officer-in-charge of Agoro Health Centre III on January 5 indicating an increase in the number of patients presenting with cough, diarrhoea, vomiting, and severe weakness.

“This prompted the district response team to move to the facility on January 8. We went prepared with rehydration kits and assorted medical supplies. We also had rapid test kits for cholera, aware that the neighbouring South Sudan is currently battling the disease,” Dr Omoya said.

He added: “We collected samples from three people, which all turned positive for cholera. One person had died that morning before arrival at the health facility. We took samples from the dead body and ran tests for cholera, which also turned positive.”

Dr Omoya said environmental health staff, Village Health Teams (VHTs), and sub-county leaders have listed all people suspected to have come into contact with the confirmed cases.

“We believe with concerted efforts, especially in enforcing prevention control measures in communities, hygiene, and sanitation, we should be able to manage and contain the spread of the disease in one week,” Dr Omoya said.

The district has received assortments of medicines and test kits from the Ministry of Health.

Dr Omoya said they suspect the disease to have spilled from South Sudan because Agoro Sub-county hosted about three big events which pulled crowds from as far as South Sudan in the last couple of weeks.

On December 22 last year, thousands of traders and their clients, including those from South Sudan, converged in the sub-county to exchange goods and services in preparation for the festive days.

There are also reports indicating that most households in Agoro Sub-county lack sanitation facilities such as pit-latrines and still practice open defecation, thereby accelerating the spread of the disease.

Mr Sebastian Oswin Oguti, the chairperson of Public Health Emergency Operation Centre for Acholi Sub-region, said the Health ministry has so far sent them 200 test kits to support the fight against the disease.

“We are also carrying out a lot of community engagement because cholera is a lifestyle disease, which can be very serious if not managed well. Tracing of contacts is ongoing,” Mr Oguti told Daily Monitor on Monday.

Dr Alfred Okello, the Amuru District health officer, said the district is on high alert following the outbreak of the disease in the neighbouring Lamwo District. He said they have instituted a district taskforce and screening at the Elegu border point was ongoing.

He said as a district, they are focusing on enhancing awareness and mindset change in the communities.

Mr Geoffrey Osborn Oceng, the Amuru Resident District Commissioner, said last Friday that the district health team, in collaboration with the health team in Nimule, South Sudan, South Sudan ministry for health, Eastern Equatoria State, and Magwi County government have heightened community awareness and implemented rigorous screening measures at the border points of Elegu and Nimule.

“Recognising that disease moves with people and that many asylum seekers and regular travellers transit and interact with communities, the district taskforce remains vigilant for any potential spillover of cases into Amuru District through the Elegu border,” Mr Oceng said.

Mr Oceng emphasised healthy practices among the population, adding that they aim to empower the community to take proactive measures to protect themselves and prevent the transmission of not only cholera but all hygiene-related diseases.

Mr Kassim Kule Okullu, the Elegu West Town Council chairperson, expressed fear that besides the disease spreading from South Sudan, the filth, stagnant water, and the lack of adequate sanitation facilities in the area could trigger a cholera outbreak.