South Sudan introduces new vaccines for Rotavirus as part of the ‘Big Catch-Up’ campaign aimed at reaching children who missed routine immunizations
South Sudan is introducing new vaccines (PCV, Rotavirus, MCV2) and launching the ‘Big Catch-Up’ campaign to reach children who missed routine immunizations.
The Government of South Sudan has launched the ‘Big Catch-Up’ vaccination campaign aimed at identifying and reaching all children under the age of five (0–59 months) who have either missed one or more antigens or have never received any routine immunization doses due to a significant immunization backlog accumulated between 2019 and 2022, as well as to reach children who defaulted on routine vaccinations in 2023 and 2024.
The vaccines include the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV), the Rotavirus Vaccine (Rota), and the Measles Vaccine (MCV2).
The campaign targets 146,054 zero-dose children who have not received a single dose of any routine vaccine with the full schedule of routine Expanded Programme on Immunization vaccines across 30 counties in the country.
The government says it is working in close coordination with key partners such as UNICEF and WHO in intensifying efforts to close immunity gaps and prevent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, which remain a persistent threat due to low routine coverage in many parts of the country.
Despite ongoing routine vaccination efforts, the program has faced numerous challenges during the reporting year, including outbreaks of measles, yellow fever, cholera, and circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type (cVDPV2). The situation has worsened due to the influx of returnees and refugees fleeing the Sudan crisis, coupled with severe flooding and consequent internal displacement, which has strained health systems.
