HIGHLIGHTS The Director General of Community and Public Health at the Ministry of Health in South Sudan addressing participants during a workshop on Message development at Juba Bridge Hotel. Next to him is Dr. Abdi Mohammed, the Head of Office for WHO South Sudan. In week 34, WHO: facilitated the SMOH Uppernile to hold a joint coordination meeting with the top management of Malakal Teaching Hospital. conducted a 60-day follow-up on an AFP case detected in Alek, Gogrial west County. supported the Ministry of health (MoH) with message prioritization and development to support health promotion activities in the country. updated contingencies in Upper Nile state with emphasis on the anticipated population movement in Maban and Renk counties from Blue Nile State supported the MOH to conduct support supervision visits to health facilities in Western Equatoria State (WES)
1. Public health issues 1. A total of 1241 measles cases were reported from all the surveillance sites this week, 680 of them investigated. Measles surveillance has been enhanced following continued reports of cases across all the states. In Warrap state, 17 preliminary laboratory reports were received from recent samples analyzed in Nairobi on suspected measles cases. 90% of these blood specimens were found to be positive for measles IgM. 2. Increased animal bite cases were recorded in Yambio in WES. Investigations are ongoing. 3. A total of four hundred and thirteen new patients in fifteen treatment centers are receiving specialized treatment for Kalazar. 4. Six AFP cases were reported this week. One from Torit in Eastern Equatoria one from Maiwut in Upper Nile and four from Western Equatoria (Yambio-2, Nagero-1, Tambura-1). This makes a total of one hundred and ninety cases reported since January. Samples were collected and investigations are ongoing. 2. Security situation The security situation in the country remained relatively calm. 3. Coordination and emergency preparedness and Response During the week: 1. WHO participated in the cluster meetings across all the ten states in South Sudan. 2. WHO in collaboration with MoH and International Medical Association (IMA) organized for a coordination meeting to discuss and develop the states emergency drugs allocation plan for the next six months. The meeting aimed at strategizing and supporting the MOH to ensure regular drugs supply to the state in the coming financial year. 2
3. Together with the SMOH Director General, WHO conducted a joint meeting with a team from Malakal civil hospital. The meeting aimed at identifying hospital technical issues, challenges, operational difficulties and possible solutions that can be resolved by MOH and other NGO partners. This will harmonize all the humanitarian assistance delivered to the state in relation to hospital support. 4. In Jonglei State, the standby emergency medical team continued receiving returnees at Bor harbour and visiting transit camps. The response team also continues to treat patients and refer severe cases to Bor State Hospital. The routine EPI supported services are being provided and regularly vaccination of mothers, children and emergency drugs being provided. WHO also replenished emergency supplies to the transit points (treatment centres) as part of the ongoing process to strengthen service delivery in emergencies.. 4. Communicable diseases. Disease surveillance update During the week: 1. States bordering with north Sudan and few others are still reporting high incidence of malaria cases, despite WHO, MoH and other partners s effort to mobilize available antimalaria drugs with intensive health education campaigns. Following this increase, WHO supported the ministry of health and the state ministries of health with anti malaria drugs and malaria testing kits, which have been confirmed to have arrived at the state ministries of health. The anti-malaria stock at central and state levels is very low and Pharmaceutical Department at MoH-RoSS is predicting severe shortage of anti-malaria drugs in the country in the last few months of 2011 untill June 2012. WHO as health cluster lead is making efforts to contact key donors and advocate for more resources to procure additional antimalaria drugs and testing kits. 2. The number of new measles cases recorded at different health facilities and mobile clinics this week in high risk states, showed a declined compared to the previous weeks. A total 22 new measles cases were reported this reporting period, the majority of these were from Lakes, Warrap, Unity and Northern Bahr el Ghazal (NBeGs) States. WHO supported Warrap state ministry of health with measles immunization campaign, while UNICEF provided 240 000 doses of measles vaccines, 24 000 measles diluents and 240 000 doses of 3
OPV to support the measles campaigns. The program also supported the SMOH with hard copies of the tally sheet and guidelines, freezing of ice-packs and training of vaccination teams to ensure high quality campaign.this was part of the support to the ongoing follow up campaign on measles targeting children aged 6 month to five years. 3. WHO continues to support the SMOH of Jonglei to respond to the Kaala azar outbreak in Fangak, Ayod, Khorfulus and other counties. Currently a total of four hundred and thirteen patients are receiving treatment in fifteen treatment centers. Of these one hundred and twenty are new cases and seven are (Relapse/PKDL).Two deaths were reported this week. 4. Measles follow up campaign is currently ongoing in Northern Bahr El Ghazal, Upper Niles state, and commenced in Unity. So far more than 50% of the target beneficiaries have been reached in Aweil East, and Aweil Centre. Upper Nile vaccinators managed to cover accessible areas in Malakal, Akoka, Baliet counties. 5. Capacity Building 1. During the week, WHO supported the state ministry of health in Warrap State to facilitate a five-day Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses in-service course for forty two Clinical Officers drawn from counties in Warrap state. WHO staff facilitates at a training of health workers on disease surveillance in Warrap state recently. 4
2. In addition, WHO in collaboration with the State Ministry of Health team conducted a twoday training for twenty nine surveillance officers and clinical officers in-charge of health facilities across the state. The training was meant to introduce the health workers and the surveillance officers to the new Health Information Management System tools and priority indicators. A cascade of a similar training will be conducted at county level as part of the roll out strategy to strengthen HMIS at county level. 3. WHO conducted support supervision activities in Nimule hospital in East Equatoria State with the aim of strengthening the management of neglected tropical diseases with emphasis to Kalazar and Sleeping sickness. During the visit, WHO donated and delivered 6 sets of Standard Operating Procedures to Nimule payam health facilities (Mugali PHCC, CDOT PHCC, Nimule PHCC and Opari PHCC. 6. Partnerships 1. WHO attended the inter-agency and INGOs meeting in Malakal, the meeting aimed at discussing the humanitarian operations of agencies key issues, constrains, and the immediate response for the returnees coming from North Sudan. Upper Nile is currently receiving returnee s from Kotsi and reports of a few displaced persons from the recent fighting in Blue Nile State. 2. Across all the states, WHO participated in the weekly Agency Senior Management Team meetings in which issues on security and agency areas of support were discussed 3. Following reports of shortage of gloves in Malakal civil hospital, WHO stepped in to the support the state ministry of health with an assortment of gloves. This follows a technical meeting and supervisory visit to the hospital by the WHO state team. 7. Plan for next week During the week, the program plans to; 1. Complete a cascade of training of public health in humanitarian emergencies in Tonj East, North and South counties. 5
2. Training of surveillance officers on HMIS and record management in Central Equatoria State in Juba. 3. Step-up pre-campaign activities with payam-level training of vaccinators, freezing of icepacks and distribution of vaccines and other campaign commodities to counties 4. Organize and conduct a three days workshop on Health Information System for surveillance officers. Others expected to attend the workshop are; public health officers, WHO staff and the central MoH staff. 8. Acknowledgments: The progress achieved by WHO/EHA South Sudan was made possible through contributions from the following partners: For further information, please contact: Dr. Allan Mpairwe, Emergency Cocoordinator, Email: mpairwea@nbo.emro.who.int or Ms Pauline Ajello, Communication Officer, Email: ajellop@nbo.emro.who.int 6