By Hou Akot Hou
The Ministry of Health in Northern Bahr El Ghazal State on Wednesday launched vaccination campaign for river blindness.
Peter Dut Thiep, the Acting director general in the state ministry of health, said they are about to conclude the training of staff in order to carry out vaccination in Aweil South and Center counties.
He said they are targeting more than150,000 people for vaccination.
Thiep disclosed that the vaccination against river blindness is targeting people above 5 years.
“We are going to send the teams out to the Aweil South and Aweil Center counties respectively. Aweil South alone will see 96,836 people vaccinated and Aweil center will have 55,000 people,” he said.
Thiep said that the trainees will get the vaccines and roll them out.
Onchocerciasis, or river blindness, is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus. It is transmitted through repeated bites by blackflies of the genus Simulium.
