Ministry of Health, South Sudan has reported the death of three people with a mysterious hemorrhagic fever. The Ministry has also indicated that some 127 similar cases have been reported since last week in South Sudan’s Raja county of Western Bhar-el-Ghazal State, raising fears of an outbreak of Ebola.
The Ministry in its statement said that the first case was recorded when a woman died shortly after returning home from the market with symptoms of bleeding from nose and mouth on October 3. On the following day, two family members of the deceased patient with similar symptoms also succumbed to the fever. Alarms were raised when on October 5, additional information was received from the same area indicating that three neighbors of the victims showed similar symptoms.
The Health Ministry added that a team of six healthcare workers including epidemiologists from the World Health Organisation, surveillance officers, clinicians, laboratory officers and hygiene officers are investigating the cases.
The South Sudan government has sought the support of WHO and other partners to address the issue, as the area lacks road network, health facility, basic health services, and telecommunication coverage. According to a report released by Global Health Workforce Alliance, South Sudan faces an acute shortage of trained health professionals, like physicians and midwives and depends on low skilled health workers.
