South Sudan launches two vaccines to prevent pneumonia and diarrhea in children

By Denis Ejulu

The South Sudan government in a joint partnership with UN agencies on Tuesday launched two lifesaving vaccines aimed to prevent pneumonia and severe diarrhea in children under the age of five years.

Aniin Ngot Ngot Mou, undersecretary in the ministry of health said the launch of the vaccination campaign against two of the common killer diseases among children in the country is a game changer.

“Today, we are taking a bold step forward in protecting the health and future of our children in South Sudan. Pneumococcal disease is the leading cause of pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis especially among children under five years old,” Ngot said during the launching ceremony in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

 He disclosed that pneumonia and severe diarrhea among children are among the diseases overburdening families and the country’s nascent health system.

Ngot said that both the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) and rotavirus vaccines will be rolled under the routine Expanded Immunization Program (EPI), adding that they are already training health workers and conducting public awareness campaigns to ensure high coverage and community acceptance of the vaccine.

Obia Achieng, deputy representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in South Sudan said the vaccination campaign will be extended across the 10 states and three administrative areas to ensure that no one is left behind.

“This initiative from our point of view goes beyond vaccine delivery, it is about equity, it is about access and it is about child survival. By targeting children under -five years old including those in hard- to- reach conflict affected areas with PCV we help them to thrive and that’s how we build a nation,” Achieng said.

He noted that the commencement of the vaccination campaign coincides with the introduction of rotavirus and PCV vaccine into the routine immunization system, marking a milestone for South Sudan.

Achieng noted that despite the latest progress about 40 percent of the children in South Sudan live five kilometers away from health facilities, with some already displaced with their families due to the ongoing insecurity in some parts of the country.

Mutale Senkwe, deputy representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in South Sudan said the vaccination campaign represents a renewed promise to protect any child in South Sudan from two of the deadliest diseases which are preventable.

“Pneumonia and diarrhea remain among the leading causes of death for children under –five not just globally but here in South Sudan as well,” Senkwe said.

She emphasized that the vaccines are very safe, effective and have already saved millions of lives in other countries.

Senkwe also noted that since the launch of the Expanded Program for Immunization in 1974, vaccines have saved over 50 million children across the African region, adding that in 2024, a child in Africa was 50 percent more likely to survive to their next birthday than in a world without vaccines.

On July 16, 2024, South Sudan became one of the first twenty countries in the world to introduce the malaria vaccine into its national routine immunization program.