A mysterious disease has emerged in a town in South Sudan, with at least 89 confirmed victims as of Wednesday morning. The World Health Organization sounded the alarm after being informed by the Ministry of Health about the outbreak in the remote town of Fangak, located 270 kilometers north of the capital, Juba, in Jonglei State. Local doctors attempted to identify the nature of the illness but were unsuccessful; as a result, the organization dispatched a team to assess the risk and uncover the reality of the disease. Preliminary findings from samples collected from the affected individuals suggest the illness may be cholera, although further confirmation is needed.
The region has recently experienced severe flooding, which has devastated local communities and hindered food and essential supplies from reaching them. The organization's team members were forced to enter Fangak by helicopter and were returned to Juba on Wednesday, according to reports by local media citing Lam Tungwar Kueigwong, the Minister of Housing and Public Utilities in the neighboring Unity State. The minister also stated that the floods have led to the spread of diseases, such as malaria, and have caused malnutrition among children due to food shortages. He noted that oil from nearby oil fields has contaminated water sources and killed large numbers of livestock.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, which operates in the area, reported that the chaos caused by the floods has increased pressure on health facilities and worsened malnutrition, along with the number of children being admitted to hospitals. The floods have caused various damages affecting more than 700,000 residents.
