War-damaged South Sudan a concern for Ebola experts
JUBA, South Sudan — With the deadly Ebola outbreak in Congo now an international emergency, neighboring South Sudan and its war-weakened health system are major concerns, especially after one case was confirmed near South Sudan’s border. Health experts say there is an urgent need to increase prevention efforts.
The World Health Organization on Wednesday made the emergency declaration for the year-old outbreak, a rare move that usually leads to more global attention and aid. More than 1,600 people have died in what has become the second-worst Ebola outbreak in history.
Health experts worry about what would happen if Ebola reaches South Sudan as the shattered nation tries to recover from a five-year civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people and displaced millions. Many health facilities were badly damaged or destroyed, and unrest continues in parts of the country despite a fragile peace deal signed in September.
Last month, a 41-year-old woman was discovered with Ebola in northeastern Congo, just 43 miles from South Sudan. She had traveled from Beni, the epicenter of the outbreak, despite having been exposed to the virus and warned not to travel.
South Sudan has sent a health team to strengthen surveillance at one of its busiest border posts, Kaya in Central Equatoria state, near where the woman’s case was confirmed. Hers was the closest confirmed case to South Sudan since the outbreak was declared.
“The risk of cases of Ebola coming across the border into South Sudan is very high,” said Sudhir Bunga, South Sudan director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “A person who comes into contact with a confirmed case of Ebola in (Congo) could travel to South Sudan, or any neighboring country, undetected during the 21-day incubation period and spread the disease once contagious.”
Though Ebola preparedness began several months ago, the current phase of the country’s $12 million response plan is just 36 percent funded, according to a report this month by the country’s health ministry.
Fighting in places such as Central Equatoria has hampered efforts to prepare for Ebola. Many South Sudan communities lack basic resources. The phone network in Central Equatoria is limited, meaning most people cannot call the emergency help line. Many hospitals don’t have staff trained to deal with the virus.
South Sudan’s prevention efforts include educating communities to dispel myths about Ebola that have posed a major challenge for disease responders in Congo. Health workers in South Sudan’s border towns are going door to door trying to inform people, with support from WHO and people who responded to West Africa’s devastating outbreak from 2014 to 2016 that killed more than 11,000 people.