No fewer than 60 people have been killed by cholera in South Sudan’s Namurunynag State in Eastern Equatoria in one month.
The local Governor, Mr. Louse Lobong Lojore, said the death toll could be higher as some occurred in remote locations and went unrecorded.
He said that the first case was reported early last month, and many more were still being reported in several parts of the state.
“Of course, these are cases that we were able to reach but there are some in very remote areas where we are not able to access and get the data,” Mr. Lojore said.
The governor and the Health minister, Dr Riek Gai Kok, appeared before lawmakers in Juba on Tuesday to explain how about 16 children died in Kapoeta town after they were vaccinated against measles last month.
Cholera is a deadly disease caused by eating or drinking contaminated food or water. It can be prevented through proper hygiene and sanitation.
The disease has claimed hundreds of lives in South Sudan since the country’s independence in 2011.
Cholera outbreak has also been confirmed in Juba with many other cases of the epidemic being reported across the country since its resurgence last year.
This year alone, about 200 people have lost their lives to cholera across the country, according to the Health ministry in Juba. (NAN)