November 11, 2024 (JUBA) – South Sudan has launched a nationwide campaign seeking to vaccinate 3.3 million children aged 0 to 59 months against polio using the new Oral Polio Vaccine Type 2. The campaign, led by the Ministry of Health with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund, and other partners, is in response to the recent confirmation of 12 cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) across eight counties in South Sudan. In a statement, Health minister Yolanda Awel Deng said that the campaign aims to ensure that every child in South Sudan is not only reached with these vaccines but also protected against the disease. “The resurgence of vaccine-derived poliomyelitis was a shock and a significant setback to the ministry’s achievements, particularly after the country was declared wild polio-free in 2020,” she noted. The Health ministry said the crisis has affected population movements and displacement in South Sudan, making it more challenging to reach children in need of vaccinations. It said that multiple doses of the vaccine will provide protection against both wild and circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses. “The World Health Organization expresses profound gratitude to the government and people of South Sudan, …

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