Health authorities and partners in South Sudan’s Western Equatoria State launched a vaccination campaign Monday targeting pneumonia and severe diarrhea in children under 5, urging parents to ensure their children receive the life-saving shots.
The campaign introduces two vaccines into the state’s routine immunization program: the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) for pneumonia and the Rotavirus Vaccine for severe diarrhea — both leading causes of child mortality in South Sudan.
Anisa Charles, a representative from the State Expanded Program on Immunization, said the vaccines had been introduced nationally on June 7 but were delayed in Western Equatoria due to logistical challenges.
“We are officially launching these vaccines today at the state level,” she said, adding that the campaign is being rolled out simultaneously across all nine counties.
Clement Gbatanawo, UNICEF’s chief of field office in Yambio, called the initiative critical, noting that pneumonia and diarrhea kill thousands of children annually in South Sudan.
“Every year, over 20,000 children die from pneumonia and approximately 15,000 from diarrhea,” he said. UNICEF remains committed to supporting the effort, he added.
Western Equatoria’s Health Minister, James Abdallah Arona, urged parents to maintain proper hygiene to help prevent the diseases.
“Diarrhea is preventable through sanitation, and pneumonia spreads through the air — a clean environment is essential,” he said.
The campaign, part of a nationwide effort, is led by the Health Ministry in collaboration with UNICEF, the World Health Organization and other partners.