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STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / CHOLERA UPDATE
TRT: 1:56
SOURCE: UNMISS / UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NATS
DATELINE: 27 MAY 2014, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN / RECENT
UNMISS - 27 MAY 2014, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
1. Wide shot, podium
2. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Dr. Abdinaisir Abubakar, Acting Officer in Charge, World Health Organization:
“The number of cases we expected to receive in our treatment facilities will go up! Based on that - Minister of Health, WHO, UNICEF, all of us, we need to go back to our planning and bring more supplies. We need to bring more staffing. We need to set up more CTC’s (Cholera Treatment Centers). We need to train more staff and we need to expand the response. “
5. Wide shot, cameramen
6. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Dr. Abdinaisir Abubakar -Acting Officer in Charge, World Health Organization:
“The number of case that we have in two weeks’ time actually is very high and its spreading in different locations in Juba and in our estimation the cholera outbreak might spread outside Juba and we are putting together a preparedness plan also how to respond not only for the IDP’s but also hostile communities outside Juba.”
8. Wide shot, press room
9. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Abdulkadir Musse, UNICEF Senior Emergency Specialist:
“So far UNICEF has spent its own resource of (USD) 1.7 million to respond to the current outbreak of the disease. We urgently need an additional (USD) 10 million to continue our Cholera response operation and to increase our Cholera prevent actions that are happening throughout the country.”
UNICEF – 20 MAY 2014, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
10. Pan right, paramedics carrying man to tent
11. Wide shot, tent – Cholera Treatment Center
12. Various shots, cholera patients
13. Med shot, patients outside Unicef tent
A United Nations official said the cholera outbreak in South Sudan has so far claimed more than 670 victims in its capital Juba, forcing officials to recalculate their expectations upwards.
Speaking today (27 May) at a press conference in Juba, Abdinaisir Abubakar of the World Health Organization said that the responsible organizations need to brace themselves for surge in new cases.
“We need to go back to our planning and bring more supplies. We need to bring more staffing. We need to set up more CTC’s (Cholera Treatment Centers). We need to train more staff and we need to expand the response“– he said.
A vigorous vaccination campaign was started several months ago in the IDP camps under protection of the UN to combat the forthcoming epidemic.
Despite preparation, cholera was reported in several different locations within capital, and officials fear that the outbreak will spread on rural areas as well.
The ongoing fighting will further complicate agencies’ response to epidemic.
“We are putting together a preparedness plan also how to respond not only for the IDP’s but also hostile communities outside Juba” – said Abubakar
The source of the cholera outbreak was confirmed by health officials that it came from the Nile river and was spread by persons using contaminated water and living in unsanitary conditions.
The United nations Children Fund (UNICEF) is coordinating the epidemic response task team.
They have provided chlorinated water for all of the UNMISS POC (Protection of Civilians) locations and CTC centers and diarrhea treatment packs which they have been flying in daily from Denmark. Abdulkadir Musse, UNICEF Senior Emergency Specialist spoke of the major cost involved in battling this epidemic.
“So far UNICEF has spent its own resource of 1.7 million dollars to respond to the current outbreak of the disease. We urgently need an additional 10 million dollars to continue our cholera response operation and to increase our cholera prevent actions that are happening throughout the country.” – said Musse.
The last cholera outbreak in the country was in 2009.
